


No Heroes Allowed

by roserosa



Series: Experiment 2013 [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-04
Updated: 2014-12-04
Packaged: 2018-02-28 04:17:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 50,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2718473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roserosa/pseuds/roserosa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What would you do if you found out that a loved one you thought was dead was actually alive? Kurt Hummel thought that sort of thing only happened in movies until one night with a Ouija board suggested otherwise. Now he's gotten caught up in something that he doesn't quite understand and finding things out about himself that he can't control. And as the Sylvester Group start to catch up with him Kurt starts to realize that his life and his relationships will never be the same again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for the Pinn and Kinn Big Bang 2014. The graphics were done for me by raving_liberal and the fic was betaed by adeina_ryddha.

“I can’t believe we’re actually doing this,” I muttered, placing my finger on the planchette. “Aren’t we a little old to be playing with this sort of thing?” Santana glared me from across the floor, rolling onto her front as her finger joined mine on the Ouija board.

“No need to get your panties in a twist, Hummel. We all know it’s just a game,” she insisted. I grumbled but didn’t argue. It was Halloween and it wasn’t like I had anything better to do. Blaine was spending the evening with Sam and Tina at some sort of event and the rest of my friends all seemed to be attending invitation only costume parties. So that had left spending the evening with Rachel, Santana, a few drinks and apparently a fake supernatural experience. Tonight was going to be _great_. Next to me Rachel shifted, leaning towards the board and sliding her finger besides me on the smooth wood.

“I’ll start. Is anybody here?” she asked. We sat there for a couple of moments just waiting but nothing happened. Then suddenly the planchette slid forwards, surprising me. My finger almost slipped off. Whoever was pushing it was eager. Santana grabbed a pen from the floor beside her, switching to her left hand so she could write down what was spelled out. Right, like she didn’t know what was coming. I supposed it added to the atmosphere. _YES._ I snorted as I read over her shoulder, of course someone was. Santana shot me a dirty look and I settled back into place. I got it, no ruining the game. Once she was certain that I wasn’t going to say anything, she turned back to the board and spoke up.

“Who are you?” We’d been told to stick to simple questions, to make it easier for the spirits to answer so I expected we’d get a short name, probably something like Ed if Santana was really feeling lazy. But I watched as the planchette moved across the board, spelling out a name much longer than expected: _Sunshine_.

 

Rachel’s breath caught in her throat, her hand dropping away from the board. I reached out with my free hand, ignoring the fact that Santana was watching us carefully. If this was her idea of fun, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to spend much more time with her tonight let alone ever again.

“It can’t be the Sunshine we know, Rach. If she’d have died, we’d have heard something about it,” I said. If I was honest, I wasn’t certain, we’d all had her on Facebook but…her account had just been deleted one day. If she’d died, surely there would have been something on there, some sort of message saying something had happened to her. And even if she was dead, what would her supposed spirit be doing in a New York apartment? Rachel looked up at me, her mouth open like she was going to speak but instead she just swallowed and nodded. “You ask her something,” she insisted after a few moments. At that point I wanted to tell her no, this game was ridiculous and she was obviously spooked enough already but…then our only memories of the night would be of what had just happened. I knew I had to play on, even if it was just so Santana could calm Rachel down. I nodded and Rachel returned her finger to the planchette, taking a deep breath as she relaxed again.

“Do we know you?” I tried asking, my eyes meeting Santana’s across the board. Her expression didn’t change as the planchette lurched forwards, stopping on _yes._ My god, what was wrong with her?! How in hell did she think making a joke out of a friend supposedly dying was acceptable? Halloween or not, that was sick. There was no way in hell I was letting her get away with that, I’d call her out on what she was doing. If she thought I was going to fall for that ‘a ghost was doing it’ crap then she clearly didn’t know who she was dealing with.

“What do you want?” I demanded. The planchette shook under our fingers for a second before it darted forwards again; spelling out a name I’d never expected to see.

 

_Finn._

 

That was it. That was the last straw. She couldn’t just bring Finn up, not like this. Something in my gut tightened as the blood rushed in my head. I couldn’t think of anything to say or do. I wanted to hurt her but I couldn’t. Rachel was in the way. I opened my mouth to shout, to scream, anything would be better than the silence that permeated the room. Even Santana looked shocked and Rachel…Rachel looked like she might burst into tears at any moment. The planchette jerked forward under our fingertips and I nearly released it, I’d had enough. We all had. A sob escaped Rachel’s lips and I moved to comfort her.

“No. I have to-,” Rachel paused and took a deep breath, “What about Finn, Sunshine? Do you have a message?” she asked. We watched as the pointer slid across the letters, spelling out something that I wasn’t quite sure about at first. Then it hit me. _Alive – all in danger – watch out._

 

I snapped my hand back, staring down at the board as Rachel’s sobs slowed to a stop, her breathing still heavy. Santana was muttering something in Spanish under her breath as I glared at her. I felt sick.

“Why are you-,” I started but I was cut off as Rachel barreled into my side. “Finn’s alive!” she cried. Her arms wrapped tightly around one of mine, squeezing tightly as she tried to meet my eyes. Her body was practically vibrating with excitement.

 

I couldn’t do this.

 

I couldn’t just sit still and pretend that Finn was alive or that we’d been speaking to ghosts. Not when I knew that it was complete bullshit.

 

“No. He isn’t. Tell her, Santana. Tell her this was all you,” I said. Across the floor, Santana looked at me, confusion and flickers of annoyance obvious in her eyes.

“I can’t because then I’d be lying,” she responded, pushing the now abandoned planchette towards goodbye. The atmosphere in the room felt heavy even though Rachel believed her and yet she still continued to lie.

“What? You’re telling me we were really visited by Sunshine’s ghost and Finn’s really alive? Please, I thought you were better than that,” I snapped, my fingers shaking as I clenched my hands into fists. Santana just rolled her eyes. I stood up, something in my stomach twisting as I stared at the woman who was supposed to be our friend. I could hardly stand to look at her.

 

“You make me sick, Santana. Sick.”

 

And with those parting words, I stormed out.

 

 

The night air was cool on my skin as I stepped out onto the city streets. I fought off a shudder, folding my arms around myself as I tried to keep myself warm. I only wore a thin shirt and I’d left my coat inside. I didn’t exactly want to go back up to collect it after I’d stormed out. I groaned and reached down into my jeans pocket for my phone. It wasn’t there. I patted my jeans down, hoping that I’d find it in my back pocket or that somehow I’d missed it but it wasn’t there. And neither was my wallet. Fuck, I was going to have to go back inside. There was no way I was going to be able to get home without my phone or wallet, not to mention the fact my keys were in my coat pocket.

 

I turned around, setting my face in a scowl so that Santana would know I wasn’t happy to be back when the door to the building opened in my face. I stumbled back, narrowly avoiding being hit in the face as Rachel stepped out, my coat in her arms. Her face was pale but her lips turned up in a smile as she saw me.

“You forgot this,” she said, holding out my coat for me to take. I grabbed it quickly and slipped into it, checking my pockets for my phone and wallet.

“Thanks, Rach,” I replied as I started to button my coat up. I paused for a moment as I noticed Rachel was doing the same. I couldn’t blame her for not wanting to stay with Santana as originally planned. Maybe now she was outside she’d see common sense. But if she hadn’t then it probably wasn’t best for her to be alone.

“Do you want to come back to mine? We can open a bottle of wine and try and forget that crap,” I suggested. Rachel looked up at me and something like uncertainty flashed across her face before she nodded.

“Sure but…I’m not sure I want to forget it,” she said slowly, averting her gaze from mine. I frowned; she couldn’t seriously believe that crap. Could she? I reached out for her, linking my arm with hers as I tried to tug her along the sidewalk gently.

“C’mon Rachel, you can’t actually believe that Finn’s actually-,” I stopped and shook my head, breathing out a soft sigh as I tried to figure out what I was actually trying to say. But it was too late. Rachel stopped, pulling her arm out of mine so she could cross her arms in front of her chest as she stepped in front of me.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t,” she replied, her tone icy. I sighed and reached up to run my fingers through my hair. I didn’t want to say it, not this time. I know most people figured that I had to be heartless, that I didn’t care about throwing my lack of belief in their faces but the truth was that I didn’t actually want to hurt anyone. Sometimes it just slipped out.

“Because we know he’s dead, Rachel. Carole identified the body and-,” She cut me off before I could say anything more.

“But you didn’t see it. She could have been mistaken.”

“She wasn’t mistaken, Rachel. You should have seen her afterward.”

“How could I have when no one even bothered to call me!”

I fell silent as I listened to Rachel’s ragged breaths as she fought off the tears that were starting to fall. She reached up to rub them away as I stepped towards her, my hand held out. She turned away, shifting slightly so my hand dropped into thin air.

“We were all distraught. There was no way I’d have been able to call you there and then,” I said, sighing as I dropped my gaze to my feet, my own arms crossing over my chest.

“He’s dead, Rachel. And the more you try and fool yourself into believing he’s okay, the worse you’ll hurt yourself.” I heard Rachel sniff and I looked back up to see her folding in on herself. I hadn’t thought… I moved over to her and opened my arms, pulling her into a hug.

“I just thought-,” I shushed her before she could say anything that would upset her more.

“I know,” I murmured, placing a kiss on the top of her head. “I know.” And this time, I actually meant it.

 

There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to get Finn back. Five years had passed and I still couldn’t get over it, and I doubted I ever would. But I guess that’s just how it worked when you were the reason a loved one was dead. I squeezed Rachel slightly tighter, trying to fight off the tears that threatened to fall. I wasn’t thinking about that, I wasn’t going to make myself cry. The past was in the past and we both needed to move on, or at least try to.

 

I pulled away to give Rachel a shaky smile and she managed to give me one back. It was a start.

“Come on, let’s get back to mine. There’s a bottle of wine in the fridge with our names on it,” I said, and Rachel giggled slightly.

“That’s the best idea I’ve heard all night,” she responded as I linked our arms together. We started to walk towards the subway, quiet but calmer then we’d been only moments before. I knew the conversation wasn’t over; Rachel wanted to hope that Finn was okay and she wouldn’t give up until she’d been proven wrong. But I was grateful for the reprieve.

 

Our steps were slow and when I heard footsteps coming up behind us, I shifted slightly to allow the person to step around but they didn’t move. It was strange but I didn’t think anything of it. Maybe they were turning off soon. But as they crossed the road, they just seemed to move closer. I felt Rachel’s arm tighten around mine and I frowned as I looked down at her. She mouthed something at me but I only caught one word: followed. I shook my head at her but didn’t say anything just in case. It was probably just a coincidence. Even so I tightened my grasp on her arm and pulled her slightly closer. I felt the lightest touch of fear as our sides pressed closer together but it was easy to ignore for the moment. We hurried along, crossing roads and taking corners, every now and then taking turns to look back to see if the person was still following us. The figure was still there. I cursed under my breath and tried to speed up. Rachel stumbled slightly beside me, almost pulling me back. I paused for just a second so she could catch up but when Rachel looked over her shoulder again she was frowning. I tried to pull her forwards again.

“Are they still behind us?” I muttered, turning my head slightly to see her as she nodded. Fuck, I really hoped we weren’t being followed. I tightened my arm around her and sped up as we passed an alleyway. I didn’t want us to get caught down there.

 

There was a crash in the alley behind us and I picked up the pace. I heard a gasp as someone collided with something and found myself stopping. I had to see what was going on. I turned my head slowly to see a man in a pullover had a slightly smaller man pinned against the wall by his throat. The man wore a suit and as he struggled, I caught a glimpse of something silver as it fell from his hand. It looked like a knife. Rachel gasped beside me and the larger male’s head jerked around to stare at us. I couldn’t really see his face, long dark hair hung lank in front of his face and his hood was pulled closed tightly. But somehow our eyes met and somehow I recognized them. They were a deep brown and muddled with rage and a pain that sent a shock running through me as I felt it course through my body.

 

I stumbled back.

 

It couldn’t be him…

 

The suited man garbled something, his fingers scrabbling at the hands around his throat. His legs flailed and he tried to kick, the larger man grunted in pain and slammed him back against the wall again and again. Eventually the man just stopped fighting, the wall dark with his blood. The larger man released him and the three of us watched as the unconscious body slid to the ground. I felt my eyes drift back to the man who had seemingly protected us. I should probably grab Rachel’s arm and drag her away to safety. The guy could turn on us. But somehow…I knew he wouldn’t and it wasn’t because I knew how he was feeling. Not this time anyway. The man eyes met mine again before they traveled across to Rachel’s face. She made no sound but as she surged forwards, I could see how pale she was.

“Finn?” she asked, her voice loud, almost as if she couldn’t hear herself. The man’s shoulders tensed and I almost moved to pull Rachel away from him. But I didn’t have to. The man darted away, disappearing into the dark of the alley.

 


	2. Chapter Two

 

The sound of laughter filled my apartment as I pushed the front door open. I’d assumed that Blaine would have left by now but clearly I’d been wrong. As the door closed behind Rachel and I, the room fell silent.

“You’re back early,” Blaine greeted but his smile didn’t match the lightness of his voice and I didn’t miss the way Tina and Sam looked at each other as they turned away from us. We weren’t welcome here. I shrugged my coat off anyway, taking Rachel’s off of her when it was proffered. There was no way I was going back out there, not tonight.

“Santana successfully managed to freak us out. We just couldn’t stay there,” I explained as I hung our coats up. When I turned back, I finally let myself take in the full picture. The trio all wore costumes and there were bottles lined up on the coffee table between them all. I guess they’d decided to forgo the party after all. I watched Rachel out of the corner of my eye. Now we were inside some color had returned to her cheeks but she still looked like she was in shock. She could probably do with a drink and a distraction. I nudged her gently towards the group with my hip, forcing a smile on my lips as I nodded towards Blaine.

“You don’t mind if we join you, right? Rachel’s a little freaked out,” I asked, slapping Rachel on the arm as she opened her mouth to argue. She closed her mouth but I could feel the waves of irritation coming off of her. They flowed over me, sinking into my very skin until all I could feel was what she wanted, no, what she needed to do. I bit down on my bottom lip hard, the sudden pain enough to draw me back from Rachel. I pulled away, keeping my movements steady as to not alert Blaine. This couldn’t be happening now. I’d been fine for days. It was just the stress of tonight, it had to be. I’d be fine if I could just get to the bathroom. My pills and a few minutes alone were all I needed.

“If you’ll excuse me, I just need to use the bathroom,” I muttered before I quickly made my escape.

  
  


The moment the door closed behind me I made my way over to the cabinet above the sink. I paused briefly in front of it as I caught sight of my reflection. My skin was paler than usual, my expression almost blank. There was no way Blaine hadn’t noticed. I choked back a bitter laugh. Not unless he was distracted by something more interesting, which let’s face it, I knew he was. To him people paying attention to him was always going to be more important than me. I let out a quiet sigh and pulled open the door, my eyes instantly drawn to a small blue bottle I’d shoved in a corner. I hadn’t even attempted to hide the fact I wasn’t taking them this time and I still hadn’t gotten a response. I don’t know what else I expected at this point but maybe it hadn’t been a good idea. The pills slowed my mind down, made my head feel stuffed but it was better than thinking I could feel other people’s emotions. I unscrewed the lid and swallowed one dry. Once you’d been on something for a few years you got pretty good at popping pills. I put the bottle back and closed the door, dropping my head against the cool mirror, my eyes closed as I tried to relax. The medication wasn’t going to kick in straight away but at least I could pretend to be normal.

  
  


There was a knock behind me but before I could call out the door opened. I opened my eyes, stepping back to see Blaine reflected behind me in the mirror.

“Are you okay?” he asked, even from where I stood I could feel his nervousness spreading across the room, finger like tendrils of emotion that stroked my skin and filled my lungs, almost choking me. I felt my shoulders tense, my hands tightening on the sink as I fought to keep my breath steady. Blaine was saying something, I could see his lips moving in the mirror but I couldn’t hear. He moved and then he was touching me, the nervousness morphing into fear and spreading across my skin. I gulped, my entire body shaking but I couldn’t pull away or speak. This couldn’t be happening, not now. The anti-psychotics had to work, they had to. I couldn’t handle this, not tonight. I turned my body to the side, knocking Blaine’s hand off of me. The fear started to ebb away, only slightly, but it was enough for me to move. I ran out of the room, not stopping even when Rachel called out towards me, stopping only when I’d reached the bedroom and the door was shut behind me. I slid down the smooth wood, folding in on myself as calm finally washed over me. Thank god. I pulled my legs closer to myself, my hands slipping up to tug at my hair as I buried my face in my knees. As I came down, it was easy to recognize what I’d been experiencing as delusions but whenever it happened; whenever those feelings overwhelmed me they always felt like they were real emotions and like they were coming from someone else. I took a deep breath, lifting my head slightly to listen to what was going on outside.

  
  


“What’s wrong with him?” Sam’s bewildered voice asked, Rachel said something in response but her voice was too quiet for me to hear. She probably realized that I was listening in. Sam’s voice quietened down in response and moments later the front door opened then closed. Footsteps followed after and someone knocked gently on the bedroom door.

“I’m going to stay here tonight, Kurt. Okay? I’ll be on the couch if you need me,” Rachel told me, her voice gentle. That was strange; I’d expected her to stay but what about-

“Where’s Blaine?” I asked. She didn’t respond. I slumped forwards, knowing what that meant. “He’s gone out, hasn’t he?”

“Yes. He didn’t think you’d let him in tonight and I’m on the couch so,” Rachel answered but I could hear in her voice that it wasn’t the entire story. I ran my fingers through my hair and pushed myself to my feet. If I wasn’t going to have to have to wait up for Blaine, I was going to sleep now. I paused by my door though, thinking about how Rachel was out there, ready to comfort me even though she’d been through just as much as me. I pulled open the door, sticking my head out to see if she was okay. She was sat on the couch, her legs pulled up under her as she poured herself a glass of something from one of the bottles.

“You should call your therapist tomorrow,” I said. Rachel looked up at me and nodded, smiling slightly at me as she did so.

“I was going to,” she admitted, her fingers shaking slightly as she reached for her glass. She wasn’t quite right but I doubted there was anything I could do for her now. I murmured goodnight and turned to return to my room.

“Kurt, wait, could you come with me tomorrow?” she asked. I stopped where I stood. “You were there with me and everything was so confusing. It might be good for you too,” she explained. It made sense and I guessed Rachel probably didn’t want to go alone in case her therapist thought she was crazy. If I backed her up then hey, at least it might seem less like she was seeing things and more like she’d made a simple mistake. Probably wouldn’t be best to bring up that I suffered from delusions then.

“Okay. I’ll see you in the morning.”

 

Sleep evaded me that night. I tossed and turned, physically exhausted but unable to switch my brain off. I kept thinking about what had happened, about whether it was Finn we’d seen or just someone else. The more realistic part of me knew that it couldn’t be him, that he was dead. But another part of me, a part of me that would remain forever sixteen hoped to god that it was him if only because it meant he was alive. I’d have been able to live with not seeing him again if I just knew he was still alive. But it wasn’t possible and no amount of useless hoping would change that. I squeezed my eyes shut and rolled onto my other side, eventually drifting off to sleep.

  
  


 

“ _You didn’t show.”_

 

I didn’t want to say that, I wanted to ask if he was okay.

 

“ _I know. I’m sor-“_

 

“ _Why didn’t you show?”_

 

Why did I cut him off?! Why had I been so rude?

 

“ _I was asleep. I didn’t mean to but…”_

 

“ _No, Finn, but nothing! It was my engagement; you couldn’t even pull yourself out of bed to watch your own brother get engaged!”_

 

No, no, no! I couldn’t hear anymore, I couldn’t relive this not again.

 

Somehow I managed to wrench myself from sleep, my cheeks wet with tears as I sunk back into my pillows. It was another hour before I managed to get back to sleep.

  
  


 

Rachel was already up when I dragged myself out of my room the next morning. She was sat on the couch, a cup of coffee in her hands, her blankets and pillow already folded up nicely on the floor. She picked up her phone from the seat next to her and waved it.

“I managed to book us an appointment for today. It’s at half eleven,” she greeted. I looked up at the clock and cursed quietly. It was already half ten.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” I asked as I rushed towards the bathroom. I grabbed the bottle of pills and took one before I hurried through the rest of my morning routine.

“I tried but you didn’t hear me,” she responded. I bit back a silent curse, she wouldn’t have wanted to shake me and the only other option was throwing water over me. And if she’d have done that, I’d have killed her. I rushed back into the living area and slipped my shoes on, grabbing my coat as Rachel pulled her own on, her cup abandoned on the coffee table which was still littered with bottles. I was going to have to clean that all up when I got back. Thank god for normal life huh. I let out a little laugh, locking up the apartment behind us as we went.

“What’s so funny?” Rachel asked as I linked arms with her.

“I was just thinking how much I miss living with you,” I answered. Rachel’s face lit up and she squeezed my arm gently. It was almost as if last night had never happened.

  
  


 

Rachel’s therapist’s office was over the bridge in Brooklyn. When I’d asked her why she went there rather than some place closer she told me that her therapist in Lima had told her that this doctor came highly recommended. I wasn’t sure how a therapist willing to listen to highly strung teenagers in Lima, Ohio knew someone so highly recommended in New York City but I didn’t point that out. What was even stranger was when we reached the office and I realized that her therapist was also mine. Maybe her previous therapist had known what she was talking about after all considering I’d been recommended by the local medical services. My treatment had been the one thing my Dad had continued to pay for when I first moved here and he’d wanted to make sure I had the best. I’d come to trust Dr. Moore, enough so that once I’d finished college I stayed with her even though I wanted to start paying for my own treatment. I hadn’t wanted to find someone cheaper.

 

The receptionist was a woman I hadn’t seen before, her red hair curled slightly over her shoulders and he smile was shy as she ushered us towards two seats to wait. Rachel tried to meet her eyes, frowning, but the receptionist didn’t give her the chance to get a good look. When the woman returned to her desk, Rachel nudged me.

“Does she look familiar to you?” She asked and I shrugged in answer. The exasperated look I got in return was enough to make me roll my eyes at her. She came here more often than I did, how was I supposed to know the receptionist? Before Rachel could pry anymore, the inside office door opened and Dr. Moore stuck her head out, a friendly smile on her face as she gestured for us to join her inside. She was a small woman with her hair cut into a dark bob. She dressed smartly and her make-up was done neatly but her face was otherwise forgettable. You weren’t likely to recognize her on the street but I guessed that was the idea, she wouldn’t want to run into a patient on the street only for them to want a free session over coffee. Her office was just as forgettable as she was, there were no pictures of family on her desk and her diploma and a few plants were the only decorations. A couch in one corner opposite the desk and three bookshelves were the only other items in the room. Rachel and I both took a seat on the couch, not quite pressed together but close enough to offer support if necessary. Dr. Moore returned to sit behind her desk and the session began.

 

“So I’m sure you’re both aware that I don’t usually run sessions this way,” Dr. Moore started, she paused so we could nod and then carried on, “But I’m allowing it this once since Rachel said it was urgent. However if you would prefer a separate session, Kurt, I can book you in for tomorrow.” Rachel grabbed my hand suddenly; I jolted slightly, turning to face her. She was still looking at Dr. Moore and her face looked relaxed but her grip told a different story. Rachel needed me here. I squeezed her hand gently before I turned back to the doctor.

“I’m fine. I just came along for Rachel’s sake.” Dr. Moore nodded, her hand hovering above the phone on her desk.

“Okay then. I’ll have to dig out both of your files first. Would either of you like a drink whilst you wait?” she asked. I nodded and Rachel murmured her agreement. I turned back to her as Dr. Moore picked up the phone.

“Miss Pepper, could we get two teas in here please,” she said before she put the phone back down. If I hadn’t have been looking at Rachel I wouldn’t have seen her tense for a second, recognition crossing her face. I wanted to ask her what but she seemed to read the confusion on her face and shook her head. When the receptionist came in, two cups of tea in hand, I noticed Rachel studying her carefully again but this time without a frown. I accepted the cup when I was given; automatically sipping at as I wondered what was so interesting about woman. She was very pretty but I couldn’t see anything special about her. I shrugged it off and took another sip of my drink, it tasted kind of funny. I stopped, looking down at my cup. It didn’t look like it had anything wrong with it but I guessed it wouldn’t look any different if there was. I took another sip and frowned only to nearly spill the cup when Rachel elbowed me.

“It’s a brand of chamomile tea. She always gives it to me when I come. It always tastes a bit odd at first,” she whispered to me. Part of me wanted to elbow her back and tell her that I’d had chamomile before and it didn’t taste like this and that it wasn’t this color either but she looked so certain. Maybe it really was just a weird tasting brand; it wasn’t like Dr. Moore usually offered me tea.

 

Across from us, Dr. Moore made a sound as she obviously found our files on her computer and turned back to us with a smile.

“Okay, now you’re nice and relaxed, why don’t we begin? How have you been, Rachel?” she said. Rachel placed her cup down on her lap, cradling it carefully as she spoke up,

“I’ve mostly been fine. But yesterday something strange happened and I think I must have been imagining things but…Kurt was there too and he saw the same things.” The other woman nodded and gestured for Rachel to keep going.

“Kurt and I went over a friends for drinks and because it was Halloween, we all thought it would be a good idea to play with a Ouija board but when we did, it said, it said…” she trailed off, almost gulping in air as she tried to explain herself.

“It said that it was an old friend of ours and that my brother was alive,” I answered for her. Rachel nodded, bringing her cup to her mouth to take a deep sip, as if she was hoping the calming effects of the tea would make this easier to explain. I reached out to squeeze her arm with my free hand before I took a sip of my own tea as a show of solidarity. We’d both been there, we’d both been freaked out and now we were both sat in a therapist’s office. Only unlike Rachel I was taking something that should prevent delusions and that something seemed to be finally kicking in. I could feel my mind fogging up, any and all emotions being watered down as I tried to focus on what was being said.

“Kurt? Are you okay?” I looked up to see Dr. Moore was staring at me, her hand hovering over her phone once again as if she thought I was going to need assistance. I nodded.

“I’m fine. Sorry.” Something flickered across Dr. Moore’s face but I struggled to recognize the emotion as her face once again relaxed.

“It’s fine. I just asked if you were certain you saw your brother.”

 

I’d been out of it longer then I’d realized. I blinked a few times but I didn’t even need to think of the answer. The words just came flowing out.

“I don’t know. They were his eyes but I was too far away to really see.” I saw Rachel nodding beside me. I hadn’t realized she’d recognized his eyes, I’d thought- I don’t know what I’d thought.

“But you’re aware that Finn is dead, correct?” the Doctor asked. We both nodded even though I wanted to roll my eyes inside, of course we knew. I’d spoken to her about Finn enough in the past and I was sure that Rachel had as well.

“How long has it been since he died now?” she asked, I opened my mouth but Rachel answered for us.

“Five years.”

“Have either of you experienced any other symptoms of grief recently?” Dr. Moore answered and this time we both shook our heads. Dr. Moore hummed, turning to type something up before she turned back to us.

“Five years can often feel like an important anniversary. If you feel any residual guilt or anxiety over his death then it could be making itself known,” she told us and we both nodded. I did feel guilty but I knew I didn’t feel any guiltier then I had a year ago. I didn’t think I was seeing Finn because of that. And why would Rachel feel guilty? I wanted to ask that but my mouth didn’t seem to want to work properly. Instead Dr. Moore asked us another question.

“Do either of you feel guilty about Finn’s death?” Why was she asking that? She knew how I felt and surely she couldn’t bring that up in front of Rachel? It wasn’t necessary for this visit. I was just here to comfort Rachel. But as Rachel said no, I found my mouth opening and the words I’d never wanted Rachel to hear came slipping out.

“Finn and I fought before he died. I was mad at him for missing Blaine’s proposal. He said he’d fallen asleep. I shouted at him and he insisted he was coming over to apologize. By the time I’d calmed down enough to tell him not to bother he must have been in the car.” I forced my mouth shut; I didn’t want to say anymore. I couldn’t.

“So you blame yourself for what happened?” She probed, leaning forwards to meet my eyes. I could feel Rachel’s gaze on me, she was probably shocked, angry even. I didn’t want to answer but something in my head guided the words out, pushed me to speak the truth even if I didn’t want to.

“Yes. He said someone had been watching him so he was obviously freaking. If I’d just listened rather than shouting, he wouldn’t have come over and he’d still be here.” Rachel gasped and this time I was certain I saw something cross Dr. Moore’s face.

“If you still feel guilty then this may be your mind’s way of trying to comfort itself. If he isn’t really dead then it’s not your fault,” she explained to me before she turned to Rachel. “You two probably did see someone who looked similar and because of the signals Kurt was giving off and the Ouija board experience, you may have believed it was Finn. But you both know it’s impossible.”

 

I faded out of the conversation after that, my head hurt and I was having trouble processing the emotions I wanted to feel, the emotions I knew I should be feeling at that moment: anger at Dr. Moore, shock that I’d admitted those things and fear over what had happened to me to make me admit them. And under all that was the guilt I’d felt for five years, it threatened to take over and hold me hostage. But it couldn’t, the one good thing about those pills was that I couldn’t feel things really. My emotions were tightly reigned in to prevent me from experiencing the delusion of thinking my emotions belonged to someone else. I wanted to scream, to punch something, to do anything just to feel something else.

 

A hand on my arm brought me back to the room and I looked up to see Rachel standing in front of me, a sad smile on her lips.

“C’mon, we’re done. We’re supposed to come back if we think we see him again,” she told me as she helped pull me to my feet. If Dr. Moore thought I was ever coming back again then she had another think coming. I was changing my therapist. I’d never have thought she would- I shook my head internally. I had to stop thinking about it or I was going to wake up feeling worse tomorrow. I let Rachel lead me out of the office, only half-listening to her promises that of course she didn’t blame me and why hadn’t I told her? Maybe she could have helped me? But she wouldn’t have been able to; she’d have been just as upset as I had been. I hadn’t wanted to do that to her, it had been my guilt to live with.

 

As we reached the main door, we heard a chair pulled out behind us and footsteps rushing over to us.

“Mr Hummel, Miss Berry, you almost forgot these,” The receptionist said, shoving an envelope into mine and then Rachel’s hands. I’d never been given anything before but I assumed this was the bill. A shared session might be billed differently after all.

“Thanks Suzy,” Rachel said for the both of us before she pulled me out of the building and downstairs right onto the street. I blinked, confused as to how Rachel knew the receptionist’s name. Miss Pepper, Suzy Pepper. It was then that her name sunk in. She’d been to school with us, a few years older and everyone knew that she’d been obsessed with Mr Schue at one point. Now I understood why Rachel had been frowning, she’d recognized her. I relaxed slightly and turned to the envelope in my hand. Was I being billed more or less than usual? I slowly pulled out the sheet of paper but instead of a printed bill I saw a hand written message, only one sentence long:

 

**Keep Finn away.**

  
  


 


	3. Chapter Three

The letter went everywhere with me over the next week. At every opportunity I pulled it out, studying the words and hoping that this time they would make sense. **Keep Finn away**. I wouldn’t even have to try, it wasn’t like I was going to fly back to Lima and dig his corpse up. Rachel had toyed with the idea of getting his body exhumed to check that it was really his body they’d buried but the idea was ridiculous. I sighed, raking my fingers through my hair as I slid further down the couch, the paper the letter falling off of my leg and onto the floor where I just stared at it. Was it Suzy’s idea of a joke or was Dr. Moore behind it? Suzy didn’t even really know me or Finn, she might have spoken to Rachel a few times when we were teenagers but I doubted she’d do something so malicious. She might have been crazy but she’d only ever hurt herself which left Dr. Moore as the sender. I didn’t even want to go there right now, for a woman who’d seemed so helpful in the past she’d quickly gone down in my estimation. God, this was all too much right now.

 

The bedroom door opened and I scrambled forwards to pick up the letter before Blaine noticed it. I shoved the paper underneath my left leg and plastered a smile on my lips. Blaine was tying a bow tie, his gaze focused on tying the perfect knot before he acknowledged me. Right, I needn’t have rushed. My face fell for a second before he looked back up at me and I forced myself to smile again.

“You look good. Where are you off to?” I asked taking in the fact he was wearing a shirt I’d brought him with the bow tie and one of his nicer pairs of chinos. It was obvious that he didn’t plan to spend the night in with me.

“I’m just meeting up with some old friends from Dalton. Damien and Elijah, you remember them?” he replied. I nodded, how could I ever forget Damien Pendergast or his on-again, off-again boyfriend? I’d almost been punched by Elijah once due to Damien’s habit of calling me Beautiful rather than my name.

“You can come if you like, I’m sure they’d love to catch up with you too,” Blaine said but I shook my head.

“No but thanks. I think I’ll be more comfortable staying in tonight,” I replied, gesturing towards my lounge pants. Even if I’d wanted to go it would have taken me a while to get changed and I wasn’t sure that Blaine would be willing to wait. I expected Blaine to just nod and head out but instead he frowned and walked over to me. He placed the back of his hand on my forehead, when he realized I didn’t have a temperature he pulled away.

“Are you feeling okay? I know it takes a while for you to get used to new pills, but it’s been a week already,” he asked. Oh, he was actually worried for once. I felt hope surge in my belly for a second before I was hit with a wave of worry coming off of him. I’d taken my pills this morning, hadn’t I? I tried to subtly move away, my lips curling into a smile of their own accord as I looked up at my fiancé. I could get through this if things returned to the way they’d been before, if Blaine could just support me. He shot me a funny look but I could feel as my smile relaxed him. I wasn’t even touching him and I knew what he was feeling. The familiar feeling of panic started to swallow the hope I’d been feeling only seconds before but I couldn’t let it show. Things would be good if I could just handle this.

“I’m just a little tired and anyway, I don’t think Elijah is my biggest fan. You go, have fun,” I insisted, reaching out to pat his arm gently. It didn’t make things any worse. Blaine’s shoulders relaxed completely and he leaned down to peck me on the lips.

“Okay, don’t wait up for me. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

 

Five minutes later and I was finally alone in the apartment, Blaine’s emotions seeping back into the walls and leaving me free to relax myself. I pushed myself to my feet and stumbled to the bathroom. I pulled out the bottle of pills, pouring them onto the side of the sink as I mentally counted them. I’d definitely taken one this morning. I cursed quietly, sinking onto the cool floor as I tried to calm my quickly beating heart. _It would be okay, it would be okay, it would be okay._ I repeated the words like a mantra in my head until my heartbeat returned to normal and I could breathe. I curled up, wrapping my arms around myself as I tried to cocoon myself from my reality.

 

I didn’t move until my legs started to cramp up, I forced myself to my feet and took a second pill. I couldn’t risk panicking again if Blaine got home and I was still awake. I’d taken a deep breath and started to put the rest of the pills away – just in case Blaine thought I was trying to flush them – when my phone rang in the other room. I stood there for a moment debating whether I should answer it or not when it clicked off. I shrugged; if it was important they’d leave a voice mail or ring back. So when seconds later my phone started to ring again, I knew I had to pick up. I jogged into the other room, hoping it was just Blaine saying he wouldn’t be back tonight or even my cousin Coy calling to complain about his boyfriend. But apparently luck wasn’t on my side. As I picked up the phone I saw Santana’s name flash across the screen. I clicked ignore but seconds later my phone was ringing in my hand, her name showing up again. I glared at my phone, mentally demanding that she hung up and left me alone but of course, it didn’t work. I scowled once more and finally answered the phone.

“What do you want?”

“I’m sorry, I must have misheard you, ‘cause all I hear is sorry,” Santana drawled down the line. I rolled my eyes and dropped back down onto the couch, staring at the letter as it shifted beside me.

“You really must be hearing things. What makes you think I want to apologize to you?” I asked. I heard Santana shifting about on the end of the line and a murmured female voice speaking to her. I couldn’t who hear it was but I could guess. Santana said something back but I didn’t catch it and then she was speaking to me again.

“The Ouija board thing, it wasn’t me. I can’t believe you’d even think I’d do that.” Of course she’d say that though, she’d never own up to a prank as cruel as that. Except, when I thought about it, the whole thing didn’t seem like Santana’s style. She could be cruel and bitchy but she was always in your face about it. She wouldn’t make a joke about Finn’s death; I still remembered how upset she was about it. But it had to have been her because otherwise that would mean someone else had spelled Finn’s name out and it wasn’t me or Rachel.

“I guess you never really know someone,” was all I could respond with. Santana cursed in Spanish before she returned to speaking to the other woman. I was pretty sure that she’d covered the phone with her hand and was whispering because I still couldn’t pick out even a single individual word that she said.

“At least give me the chance to explain myself, Kurt. Come over, Rachel’s here too and then you can both hear me out,” Santana eventually told me and then she hung up.

 

What the fuck? I pulled my phone away from my ear to stare at it. If she seriously thought that I was coming over after that then she obviously didn’t know me very well. I stared down at my phone for a few seconds longer before I found myself getting back to my feet. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to find out Santana’s reasons. Maybe I’d finally stop thinking I’d seen Finn.

  
  


  
  


Santana handed me a glass of wine as I took a seat across from her at the dining table. Rachel was sat on my left, nursing a glass of her own as she waited for Santana to explain. She was practically vibrating with excitement so I was pretty sure that Santana had already told her what she wanted to say to me. Rachel was probably just here to make sure that I believed her. I sighed and lifted my glass to my lips, taking a large gulp. I had a feeling I was going to need a lot more wine tonight.

“So what’s so important that you couldn’t tell me over the phone?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. Santana leaned across the table to pick up some sheets of paper that she’d left on the counter. She placed them on the table and pushed them towards me.

“I’ve already told you that it wasn’t me controlling that Ouija board. I think it might really have been Sunshine,” she responded. I snorted but took the sheets of paper anyway. A headline on the page from The Columbus Dispatch glared up at me: **Philippine Student Found Dead**. I frowned, that couldn’t be Sunshine or we’d have heard if something had happened to her. Even if we didn’t talk it would have been on the news. Someone would have said something to us or to someone in school. I read on, my face paling with every word I read. She’d been found dead in an alleyway, her purse a few meters from her body and her wallet gone. The police decided that she’d been mugged and had been killed when she refused to give up her money. That didn’t sound like the shy girl I had met. Why wouldn’t she have given up her purse if the attacker had threatened her with a knife like the report said? It just didn’t make sense. I put the sheet down; grabbing at the next sheet only to see that it was a page on the rules you should follow when using Ouija boards. I threw it back down and shook my head.

“I don’t know what this proves Santana. Other than the fact Sunshine is actually dead,” I replied. I looked up to see Santana gulping back her wine an uncomfortable look on her face. When she put her glass back down, her face appeared more relaxed but it was obviously a front. It was this reaction more than anything else that made me want to listen to her finally. If something was making her just as uncomfortable as I had been then maybe she wasn’t involved.

“I called my Abuela this morning. To ask her what she thought about this,” said. Why has she called her grandmother, didn’t she…? Oh, now I understood why Santana looked so uncomfortable. I reached across the table and patted her hand gently. She pulled her hand away but smiled at me grimly.

“She wasn’t happy but I told her I wouldn’t call if it wasn’t important. She’s Roman Catholic but I know she has some views on ghosts.” She paused, grabbing at the bottle of wine to top up her glass. “She called me stupid when I mentioned the Ouija board but she said that I would have felt it if a ghost was in the room. I thought I felt something but I put it down to the alcohol,” Santana finished, shaking her head as she sipped at her wine a little slower. This time it was me who gulped it down as I tried to take what she was saying in. It still made no sense to me, ghosts just didn’t exist. So her grandmother believed in them and it turned out that Sunshine was actually dead, that didn’t mean anything.

“Did she say anything that actually constitutes as proof or is this story your poor attempt at explaining things away?” I asked. My words came out crueler then I meant them and I saw anger flash across Santana’s face.

“Get your head out of your ass for once and just listen to the fucking evidence. Just because Lady Hummel doesn’t understand it doesn’t mean it’s impossible,” she snapped, her fist slamming down on the table. Rachel jumped slightly and she leaned across the table, as if she could just calm Santana down by touching her.

“Get the fuck off of me, he needs to listen,” she spat out. Rachel leaned back in her seat, something flaring in her eyes as she glared at Santana before she turned to me.

“This could be what we were looking for, Kurt! If Finn’s alive then that explains what both Sunshine and Suzy said and we need to find him. This is it,” she insisted.

 

I shook my head; Santana’s words mixing with Dr. Moore’s, the newspaper story filled my head before it was replaced with Suzy’s letter. This was all too much. I pushed myself to my feet, still shaking my head as I turned my back on them.

“I need to think about this. I can’t just accept something like that, not just like this. I’m sorry,” I said before I hurried out of her apartment. But when my feet hit the sidewalk outside I realized that I didn’t want to go home. I couldn’t go back and just focus on what Santana had said all night or that Rachel believed her. If Finn was alive I needed proof, I needed to really see him. But that wasn’t going to happen no matter how much Rachel hoped otherwise. I squeezed my eyes shut for a second before I turned on my heel and headed to a nearby bar that I’d been to with Santana on several occasions. I needed a stronger drink.

  
  


 

There weren’t many patrons in the bar just yet. The people who had come straight from work had started to trickle away and the people who would come for a night out hadn’t arrived yet. I took a seat at the bar and ordered a screwdriver, determined to drink just enough to be on the verge of drunk before I made my way home. I’d still be back before Blaine and he’d never know that I’d gone out. He worried about my drinking habits, I know he did, he liked to be able to see how much I’d drunk. It was funny really because I knew he was just as bad but he worried that it was because I couldn’t handle my symptoms well. If only he knew that I drank so much because I couldn’t always handle spending time with him.

 

“Woah, someone looks pissed. You been dumped, dude?” An unfamiliar voice asked me. I turned my head to see a man around my age taking a seat next to me. He had a friendly enough face and he was swaying a little as if he’d already had a few too many. I smiled politely at him but shifted slightly further on my stool away from him.

“No, I just haven’t had a great week,” I lied. Technically it was the truth; it just hadn’t been why I’d been sinking into despair at that exact moment in time. I didn’t this stranger wanted to hear that I regretted saying yes to my fiancé five years ago but I still couldn’t bring myself to end things because I was so scared of ending up alone. That wasn’t something I’d admitted to even Dr. Moore. It was my secret alone. Well, mine and Finn’s if he was still alive, a traitorous thought reminded me. I shook my head and picked up my drink as it was placed down in front of me, downing it immediately. I felt the familiar buzz of alcohol as it rushed to my head and I found myself relaxing. The man next to me chuckled and I turned back to him, this time noticing that he was actually rather handsome in a homely kind of way.

“Can I get a beer and another of what he had,” he told the bartender. I was slightly surprised but I wasn’t going to turn down a free drink. Hey, if I was out I might as well talk to someone. Otherwise it would just be like drinking at home only with a longer journey back to my bed.

“Want to talk about what’s made it suck so much?” he asked and I shook my head. He hummed his understanding before he took our drinks from the bartender and nodded towards a table in the corner.

“Well, if you want some company then I’m here with a couple of friends. You can join us if you want,” he told me. But he was already up and moving over to his table. I sat there for a second debating before I moved over to join them. What harm would it do provided I didn’t touch any of them? I could do with the distraction after all.

 

I joined them at their table, sitting on a stool on the opposite side of the table of my new friend. Next to him sat a short but stocky Asian man, his lips curled down into a scowl and on his other side sat a young black woman who looked at least somewhat familiar but I had no clue where. I had a sense of déjà vu; it was like back at Dr. Moore’s office only I wasn’t with anyone who would recognize her. I shook my head internally, it was probably nothing anyway. I’d probably just seen her on the street or something. She didn’t say anything to me, just turned back to my new friend and murmured something to him before she got up and walked away. I didn’t bother watching her but it was obvious that the scowling man was when his lips turned up for a second. I felt a foot nudge my leg and I looked up to see the taller guy rolling his eyes, a silly grin on his lips. I found myself laughing at him and taking my drink. God, it felt good to be out with someone fun.

 

 

Four or five drinks later and my new friend – Jacob as I’d discovered he was called – was leading me out of the bar and towards a club he said had great music. I’d told him I didn’t want to dance, I only had one move and I didn’t want to touch people but he said it was okay, he could get us into the VIP area. I wasn’t sure why I agreed but it sounded like a really good idea at the time. I followed him along not really noticing where we were. I didn’t even notice anything until I realized that I was in an alleyway. I looked around, my head feeling fogged up from the booze, and I nearly stumbled over.

“Where are we? Is there some underground club here?” I slurred. Jacob turned around that friendly grin still on his face as he nodded at me.

“Yeah, I just have to give you something first, club policy.” I nodded and held out my hands but he shook his head before pulling a capped needle out of his pocket. Alarm bells started to ring in my head but my movements felt sluggish as I tried to move away from him. I shouldn’t have followed him; I should have looked where we were going. But the thoughts all came too late. I tried to run towards the exit but my foot hit something and I fell forwards, my knees scraping the ground. I felt a hand grasp my arm tightly, pulling at my sleeve as I struggled away. I tried to pull my arm out of his grasp, flailing my arm non-stop until he cursed.

“Stay still,” he hissed, leaning in until I could smell his sour breath and felt flecks of spit hit my face. “I told Aphasia she should have stayed,” he growled. Jacob hadn't meant for me to hear that, I knew that, but the name rang a bell. I didn’t have time to worry about that though as I tried to punch at Jacob with my free arm. But he batted it away like it was nothing. I opened my mouth to scream and Jacob tensed, dropping the needle and groping for something I couldn’t see instead. He grabbed at something I couldn't see in the shadows before I felt something hard collide with the back of my head. Dizziness overwhelmed me and I suddenly felt like I might throw up. Jacob cursed suddenly and let go of me, my elbow hit the ground hard and I bit back a cry of pain.

 

I needed to know what was going on, I needed to be able to see. I sat up slowly; I wasn’t seeing double but the back of my head hurt a hell of a lot. Jacob was being cornered by a taller man in a pullover. I could only see his back but somehow I knew it was Finn. Something in me still rebelled, didn’t want to believe that it could be him but that side had been beaten down with alcohol and possibly a brick. I watched as Jacob tried to hit the taller male only for the man’s arm to disappear. Jacob’s fist went right through the air, knocking him off balance. The taller male kneed him in the groin and Jacob fell to the ground. He wouldn’t be down long though. I had to help. I didn’t know how but I had to do something. I found myself getting to my knees and crawling forward. Every movement I made sent pain rocketing through me but I gritted my teeth and tried not to sway or fall. It was slow progress, I could hear the sound of someone kicking a body and I knew that it had to be Finn. I tried to find my voice; to tell him to stop but every ounce of effort I made had to be put into movement. Jacob’s body grew closer and closer until I was able to reach out and grab his hand but I couldn’t feel anything. I hadn’t felt anything earlier when he’d grabbed me either but I didn’t know if that was the meds or the alcohol or both. For some reason the thought sent panic spiraling through me. I needed to know what he was feeling, I didn’t know why but something inside me told me it was necessary. I squeezed my eyes shut, shutting out everything but the feel of Jacob’s warm hand within mine. If focused, concentrating harder and harder until I started to feel inklings of pain. I couldn’t say if it was his or my own but I zoned in on it, stoking the pain until I couldn’t feel anything else and then I squeezed Jacob’s hand. And with that the pain was gone for a second and Jacob’s body started writhing, his eyes jolting open as he screeched. Suddenly Jacob was squeezing my hand back and his pain started to roll back over me only it felt twice as worse as before. It felt like my upper body was being pounded into oblivion. I tugged my hand three, my breathing ragged as I tried not to scream. I pulled too hard and fell back, my head smashing against the concrete beneath me. And the last thing I saw before I blacked out was Finn’s face. 

 


	4. Chapter Four

The first thing I noted when I opened my eyes was that the back of my head hurt like a bitch. I sat up slowly, reaching slowly behind me to feel the back of my head. I felt a bandage there and I probed gently, wincing slightly when I found a sore spot. I remembered hitting my head but that was the last thing. I lay back carefully, shifting around as I realized I was in my own bed. I closed my eyes, trying to recall how I’d gotten home. But nothing came to me. All I could remember was somehow turning Jacob’s emotions into an attack as Finn tried to keep him down.

 

Oh shit, Finn.

 

I sat up with a start, looking around the room as if that would give me any clue of his whereabouts. I didn’t even know why I was so certain that it had been him that time. I’d been drunk and afraid but somehow I was certain now. It was him. I didn’t know how he was alive or what he was doing in the city but he’d protected me twice now. He was still looking out for us even after all these years. I heard the kettle switch on in the other room and I found myself jumping out of bed. Was that Finn? Had he stayed? What time even was it? Was I going to have to somehow explain about him to Blaine? I turned my head quickly and saw the numbers 10:07 AM flashing across the screen. It was morning; I turned back to the bed to see if Blaine’s side had been slept in. It was as neat as it had been when I’d left the night before. If Finn had stuck around then it wouldn’t be long until Blaine got back and they ran into each other and I wanted a chance for Finn to explain how this was possible to me alone. I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to avoid the injured spot before I moved slowly towards the bedroom door. As my hand touched the door handle, I heard more movement and I froze for a second. Oh god, what was I going to say? No, I couldn’t worry about that. I should just go out there and speak to him. I pulled the door open and stepped through. Blaine stood in front of the kitchen counter, a mug in front of him as he picked up the kettle, his attention partly on the two slices of bread in the toaster. He turned his head, smiling lightly at me. 

“Morning, you look like you slept well,” he said. I felt my heart drop and only had seconds to cover up my disappointment. I should be happy; this gave me time to formulate what questions I wanted to ask Finn. If I could find him that was. I forced my lips into a smile and nodded in response, joining Blaine in the kitchenette and stealing one of the slices of toast as they popped out. I moved over to the fridge, grabbing the butter out as well as the milk for Blaine’s coffee.

“Mhm, I think I can partly blame the bump on my head for that though,” I responded wryly, simply shrugging when Blaine raised an eyebrow.

“How’d you bump your head?” He asked, grabbing the milk from me and turning back to his mug. Good, if he didn’t look at me then I’d find it easier to lie.

“I was out drinking with San and Rachel; I tripped on my way out of the bar. I’m okay though,” I told him. He hummed in response to that, putting the milk back down before he turned to me and gestured for me to turn around.

“Let me take a look. It’s not like you can see around the back of your head properly, especially not when you’re drunk.” I froze for a second; I really didn’t know how bad it was. I’d hit my head hard enough to be knocked out, or had that happened because I’d overloaded my senses? I had no clue. I’d never done anything like that before. But if it looked bad then there was no way Blaine would accept my story. I might have been slightly clumsier than usual when drunk but I wasn’t that stupid. If it was bad then I’d have wanted to go to hospital. But then I also had to hope that if it had been that bad then Finn wouldn’t have left me. I sighed and turned around, letting Blaine feel around the back of my head. He murmured something unintelligible to himself as he peeled back the bandage. I winced as he pulled the tape away from my hair, trying not to make a sound. I guessed Finn hadn’t really thought that through, maybe he had been in a rush. I winced again as Blaine probed at the back of my head.

“Kurt…how badly did you bang your head?” He asked slowly after a few seconds, his voice slightly strained. I tried to come up with a sensible answer, I could tell he was worried but I didn’t know how bad that meant it was.

“I don’t really remember,” I admitted, I heard Blaine curse quietly before he probed gently at the back of my head before he turned me around to face him.

“It looks like it was bleeding and you have a stitch back there, you did more than just hit your head,” he informed me. I had a stitch? Had Finn taken me to the hospital? No, of course not, I’d have been woken up and I’d remember that. Where ever Finn had been for five years, it looked as if they’d taught him some fairly useful skills.

“I didn’t realize it was that bad,” I murmured, averting my gaze as Blaine tried to look me in the eye. He was trying to figure out what was going on with me, if I was lying. If he couldn’t trust that I was telling the truth then he could think what he liked and deal with it. But I wasn’t going to sit there and wait for him to decide I was being honest.

“I thought you didn't want to go out last night?” Blaine questioned, I shrugged, wishing I hadn't said that to him now.

“I changed my mind. I wasn't going to turn down a drink with my friends,” I said, hoping he wasn't going to make a big thing out of this.

“You should have just come out with me. Then I could have limited you,” Blaine insisted. I grunted in response, not wanting to argue right now. Yes, drinking had clearly been a mistake but it had also gotten me the evidence I needed. But I couldn't tell Blaine that and I didn't feel like making up some lame excuse just so he would forgive me. So I just didn't say anything.

 

Blaine returned to his coffee and I returned to my forgotten toast, spreading butter over it as Blaine sipped his coffee quietly.

“How long have you been home?” I asked, trying to spark up conversation again and move it onto a safer subject.

“Not long. Sorry I didn’t call last night by the way,” Blaine replied. I told him that it was okay and that was the end of that. Or at least that’s the way I wished it had happened. Instead he started blathering on about his night and I found my mind wondering back to where Finn had gone. Had he stayed after he'd stitched my head back up and where had he even gotten the stuff from? I wanted to go back to the room, see if I could find something but if he’d only just left then-

“Did you see anyone leaving when you got home?” I interrupted. Blaine shook his head, his own slice of toast in his mouth preventing him from answering properly. And before he could ask why I wanted to know, I returned to the bedroom so I could get changed. It was as I grabbed clean clothes out of my dresser that I realized I was wearing pajamas. Finn had brought me home, bandaged me up and had changed me into pajamas before he put me to bed. He’d done all that without me helping him and without a thank you, not to mention he’d help beat the crap out of Jacob. I had to find him, thank him and let him know that I wanted him back in my life. I couldn’t know he was out there and not know where he was or what he was doing. I had to find him and I had to find him soon. I got changed and was gone from the apartment before Blaine could stop me. My phone in hand, I quickly pulled up a familiar number and dialed.

 

 

Rachel and Santana met me in the diner on the corner of Santana's street. As they took their seats I could see the curiosity in their expressions, the lines of their shoulders tight as if they almost expected me to freak out on them. The sad thing was that I couldn't blame them. I hadn't exactly been myself recently. I smiled awkwardly at them and gestured to two of the coffees that sat on the table.

“Peace offering?” I offered. The two women looked at each other for a moment before Rachel picked up one of the cups. Santana on the other hand raised an eyebrow at me expectantly, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“What do you want Hummel?” She asked. It was times like this that I wished Santana was a little less blunt. I sighed, trying to word the thoughts that had been going around my head all morning without sounding crazy. I don't know why I bothered, it wasn't like anything they'd said to me last time I'd seen them had been even semi-sane. I reached out for my own coffee, stirring it absently as Santana started to tap her nails impatiently on the table.

 

“I saw Finn last night,” I admitted. Rachel's breath seemed to catch in her throat as she leaned over the table towards me.

“Where?” She demanded, ignoring the look Santana shot her even as Santana grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

“Slow down there, Hobbit. I know he's into your kind but manhandling him won't get you any answers,” she drawled. I bit back the urge to comment, knowing Santana was just being rude because she was pissed at me. Why should they believe me straight off when I hadn't believed her? I was going to have to explain and quickly or I wouldn't get anywhere.

“Look, I'm sorry I didn't listen. It was a lot to take in. But I ran into a guy in a bar and when he attacked me later Finn came to the rescue and-” I broke off shaking my head. My words were all getting mixed up in my head. I didn't know what to say or do; I just needed them to believe me. If they did then maybe we'd be able to find him without having to put ourselves in danger. I loved the Twilight series but I really didn't want to become like Bella. If something happened to us because we wanted Finn to come and he couldn't it just wouldn't be worth it. I picked my coffee cup up slowly, looking up to study the girls’ expressions. Santana snapped out of it first.

“What the hell were you doing going off with someone from a bar?” She demanded, scrutinizing me carefully as she waited for what I'm sure she would think was a lame excuse.

“He said he was taking me to another bar. That's all.” Santana snorted but this time it was Rachel who shot me a disapproving look. For what it was worth she didn't say anything this time. She'd want to chew me out later, I just knew it. But for now, at least, Finn was more important.

“Are you certain it was him?” she asked and I nodded.

“I saw his face.” Both Santana and Rachel fell silent as my words sunk in. It was so much and I wished that it had been all I needed to tell them but it wasn't even the half of it.

“That wasn't even the weirdest thing that happened. I blacked out after I saw it was him and I didn't wake up until this morning. In bed, at home, with the wound on the back of my head stitched up,” I explained, pulling off the hat I'd brought on the way over to hide the bandage. I turned my head slightly to show them and Santana suddenly stood up.

“This is too weird, Kurt. If we're going to be talking about it, which I'm not sure we even should be, it needs to be somewhere more private,” she said. I bit my bottom lip, not sure that I would be able to carry on this conversation but she was right. We were talking about a supposedly dead guy who'd been going around the streets of New York saving people. The last thing we needed was some journalist or blogger to overhear us and decide to write a story on the mysterious hero. If Sunshine had been right then Finn was in danger and Suzy didn't want him near her building. Something had to be going on with him and it obviously wasn't good. But we had to help him. I nodded and got up to go pay.

“We'll go back to yours.”

 

 

The moment the front door closed behind us, Santana turned on me.

“Was there anything strange about the guy who attacked you? Do you know what happened to him?” she demanded. Why did she want to know about him? I frowned, trying to think back on the events of the night before. Most of it was a blur before Finn appeared. I rubbed at my eyes, shaking my head.

“I was drunk. I don't-”

“Yes you do!” I jerked my head up, staring at Santana in surprise. Her pupils were dilated, her breath coming hard as she stared back at me expectantly, her hands curling into fists.

“Why do you want to know, San? What's happened?” I asked slowly. She shook her head slightly before she sighed, combing her fingers through her hair as she looked anywhere but at us.

“The other night when I was out, a girl tried to pick me up; when I brought her back here she attacked me. Finn didn't come to my rescue; I managed to handle it myself. I didn't think it was related until-” she stopped.

“Until the same thing nearly happened to me,” I finished. Santana nodded, we both turned back to Rachel to see if she had a similar story but she shook her head.

 

I couldn't help but wonder if Santana had handled her attacker the same way I had. But I just couldn't ask. This whole thing was weird enough already and I didn't know if I'd really done anything to Jacob. It could have just been my imagination but the pain had felt so real. I slumped back in my seat wishing that I could magically find all the answers engraved on the table.

“When you dealt with the girl, did you do anything strange?” I finally asked. Santana's body tensed so slightly that if I hadn't been looking out for it, I would have missed it.

“Why?” she asked. I took a deep breath, wishing so hard that there was another way to go about this.

“When Finn was kicking the guy I felt like I had to do something to help and I just had this urge to touch him. When I did I could feel his pain and somehow I turned it back on him. I don't know how I did it so don't ask but I did,” I admitted. I felt my heartbeat pick up slightly, my thoughts jumping around what would happen if they didn't believe me. If they just thought it was all in my head. It was all linked to Finn somehow, it had to be. In the cold light of the day I knew I wouldn't have reacted like that if Finn hadn't been there to shock me into action. It was just too improbable for the idea to work in my head. But with everything going on already it did. And I needed to work through it with my friends so we could deal with it. Across from me Santana took a deep breath and nodded, her shoulders slumping forwards.

“Yeah, I did. I mean, I know I'm sexy but I can't usually lure psychos out of my apartment,” she said. I raised an eyebrow; ready to ask her what she meant when she seemed to realize that we had no clue what she was talking about.

“When I started to freak out I suddenly wanted to give in. And by give in I mean I started sharing details of what I’d like to do to her if she left and she just did,” Santana explained. That was sort of strange but…it kind of made sense. If I could turn other people’s emotions against them, why couldn’t Santana use their desires? She’d always been sexual and I’d always been cautious about mine and others emotions. It made me wonder what Rachel would be able to do, if she had any strange abilities herself. I turned to her but when she met my eyes, she shook her head. But something in her eyes looked troubled. It could be that she felt left out, that her best friends had these strange things happening to them and she didn’t. But I didn’t think it was that. There was something she wasn’t telling us and it had to do with her involvement in what we were talking about. I wouldn’t push though; if she wanted to tell us then she would later. No one could ever accuse Rachel Berry of being too quiet after all.

 

“What do you think this all means?” I asked as I looked between Rachel and Santana. Only they both looked as lost as I did. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but Rachel beat me to it.

“I think we need to find Finn. If anyone knows anything then it’s him,” she said. I nodded slowly; if I was honest I had to admit that part of me thought she just wanted the chance to see Finn again. But I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want to see him. The reason why wouldn’t matter, as long as we actually got to talk this time.

“You’re right. We’re just going to have to hunt him down,” I agreed. Santana snorted and when I raised an eyebrow at her she just shrugged.

“You guys do that but I’ll be the one to get answers out of him. You two will be too soft,” she said. Rachel let out a little huff and turned away but even she didn’t argue. That wouldn’t stop her from seeking answers if she found Finn first though.

 

The only problem was we had absolutely no clue where he was.

 

 


	5. Chapter Five

 

An entire week had passed and I still had no clue how to find Finn. I’d gone back to the places I’d ran into him before to see if he’d left some sort of clue but there was nothing. I’d tried looking around other places nearby that I thought he’d like but no one had heard of him. I’d even phoned around the hospitals but none of them had seen anyone that matched Finn’s description. I couldn’t give up hope but I was starting to think that Finn didn’t want to be found.

 

I became distracted. When I was at work I was thinking about where I could look next and when I should have been at home I was out looking. Blaine was starting to get worried but when he asked what was wrong, I couldn’t tell him. I went to bed every night wracked with guilt over what Finn might have been through in the past and what I was putting Blaine through now.

  
  


  
  


I tossed and turned all night. Every time I closed my eyes unwanted memories flashed up and I forced them open again. I eventually fell into an uneasy sleep but even then I couldn’t escape.

 

“ _No, Finn, but nothing! It was my engagement; you couldn’t even pull yourself out of bed to watch your own brother get engaged!”_

 

I still couldn’t believe I’d been such a brat.

 

“ _Oh c’mon, it’s not like I missed anything! You don’t even want to marry him!”_

 

I couldn’t believe he’d been such a brat either.

 

“ _That’s not the point! I didn’t have a choice. Maybe if you’d have showed up you could have talked some sense into me.”_

 

He sighed after that and I knew what was coming next. I couldn’t hear that again, not now. I had to wake up. I had to-

 

“ _Look, I’m sorry, okay? I’ve just not been sleeping well recently. I think- never mind.”_

“ _Finn, it’s okay. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”_

“ _I think someone’s following me. They’re everywhere I go. Last night I looked outside and someone was sitting in the tree outside my window!”_

 

Knowing what I did now, I believed him but back then I’d thought something was wrong with him. And I’d slammed the phone on him after that. God, why had I done that?!

 

Seconds later my phone had beeped and a text came in and I could hear the stupid message now.

 

_Please don’t be mad at me. I’m driving down to see you now. We’ll work this out for you._

 

He’d just wanted to help me. He hadn’t given a shit about the people following him at that moment and that had gotten him killed.

 

Everything after that was a blur. Images of the wreck of Finn’s car interspersed with Carole’s face when we were told he hadn’t made it. I couldn’t tell you what happened in the days after because they all felt the same and somehow just melted together and felt wrong, wrong, wrong. Things only changed when I returned to New York for a few days with Rachel both us desperate to feel something new. It turned out that the numbness distance provided was just as bad as the crushing grief that had enveloped me at home. At some point I returned to Lima for the funeral. I helped our parents pack his stuff up and claimed an old football and his jacket. Somehow having it on made me feel whole again for a second, it was like I was wrapped in his arms. But the feeling faded and I let Santana take the jacket. Somehow she lost it and even now I didn’t know where it had gone.

 

And then everything faded back to black and I finally woke up.

  
  


 

“Kurt, wake up, it’s just a dream,” a familiar face murmured to me as my eyes fluttered open. The room was dark, only lit by a slim ray of moonlight that slipped through the crack in the curtain. Blaine leaned above me, a concerned look on his face as he reached down to wipe my cheek gently. I realized my face was wet and pushed his hands away, rubbing at my tired eyes with my own hands. Maybe if I couldn’t see the world I wouldn’t have to participate. No chance in that happening. I still had work, relationship commitments and I had to find Finn. Hell, you’d think this wouldn’t affect me so much now that I knew he was alive.

“I’m fine. I was just thinking about Finn,” I told him. I heard Blaine sigh and felt a hand touch my back as he settled down beside me again.

“It still hurts, huh?” I didn’t bother responding to that, the answer was obvious.

“You know it’s not your fault, right?” Blaine tried again but once again, I ignored him. I had other things on my mind. Like how would he react when he found out Finn was still alive? Hell, how would Carole react? This wasn’t going to be some simple thing, no wonder Finn didn’t want to be found. I sighed quietly. This time Blaine didn’t bother trying to reassure me, I watched as he turned on his side away from me out of the corner of his eye.

“Maybe you should book an appointment with your therapist. That way you can talk to someone else.” I tried to ignore the sulkiness of his voice as he’d given me an idea. Maybe I would go to Dr. Moore’s office, maybe Suzy would have a clue where he was.

  
  


  
  


As I stood outside the familiar office building I realized how badly I didn’t want to go inside. I stared up at the window wondering if there was some way to get a message out to her. I could call the office but there was a chance that Dr. Moore would want to know who it was or she might even answer the phone herself if she wasn’t with a patient. Going up there was probably the safest option, that way I could just stick my head around the door and see if Suzy was alone or not. I ran my fingers through my hair and stared up at the window for a few more seconds before I forced myself to move towards the front doors. The quicker this was done, the better. But my feet didn’t seem happy to respond and with every step I took, I found myself moving closer and closer. As the door to the office came into sight, my heart started to beat harder and I was almost worried that somehow Dr. Moore would be able to hear it through the walls. I stepped as quietly as possible, skirting closer to the door before I peeked in through the window. The door into Dr. Moore’s actual office was firmly shut and I could only see Suzy in the small reception. I let out a small sigh and slipped through the door, catching my hand between it and the frame to stop it from closing as I called out to Suzy. She turned to face me, a small smile lighting up her face but I could see something nervous flicker in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, her fingers inching towards a pen. I quickly shook my head and gestured to the door. She frowned and once again tried to speak. This time I put my finger to my lips and pulled the door open again. As I slipped back out, I held up five fingers only to realize seconds after the door quietly shut behind me that she might not realize that I meant she should join me in five minutes. I cursed under my breath but I didn’t want to go back inside. I didn’t know when Dr. Moore would come back out and I didn’t want to risk seeing her right now. I made my way back downstairs and crossed the road, sitting on a bench that faced the bakery next to the office. I'd wait outside for ten minutes and if she didn't join me then I'd have to try something else instead.

 

I fiddled with the hem of my coat as I waited. I tried to relax into the seat but I couldn’t seem to do it. Too much rode on this conversation and if it didn’t go the way I wanted then I was out of leads. I dropped my head into my hands, rubbing at my eyes as I tried to fight off the headache that seemed to come on with the thought of having to scour the streets for Finn again.

“Is everything alright, Kurt?” My head jerked up at the sight. Suzy stood right in front of me, her fingers fiddling with the belt of her coat as she did it up. Her hair was trapped in the back and I gestured towards it. As she pulled it out, her cheeks flushed and she took a seat next to me.

“Sorry, I know it doesn’t look professional but I rushed out here. You seemed in a hurry,” she explained, her gaze meeting my own steadily. And somehow that wasn’t what I was expecting. On the outside she seemed very awkward and unsure of herself but there was something about her, something about her that seemed very calm, maybe even calculated. If I wanted answers then I was going to have to show that I was serious and that I wasn’t going to back down. I kept my eyes on hers as I let myself smile back and respond.

“It’s fine. I just wanted to ask you about those letters you gave Rachel and me the other day.” Suzy flinched slightly but I couldn’t be sure if it was an act or a crack in her composure. I reached out to brush my hand against hers but she pulled her hand away quickly, resting them in her lap.

“I can’t tell you anything, Kurt,” she said. I frowned, she knew something, she definitely knew something. I just had to find a way to get it out of her.

“We need him, Suzy,” I insisted but she shook her head again.

“It doesn’t matter. I can’t tell you where he is.” With every word she said I found myself growing more and more annoyed at her. She couldn’t tell me? More like she didn’t want to. Who did she think he was?! He was my brother, if I wanted to see him then I should be able to.

 

“Fine, let’s go about this a different way. How about you tell me how you know him,” she shook her head but I saw her tense slightly. And finally I had my way in.

“Surely you can tell me about that? Is Finn the reason why you seem to think you know me?” I questioned, leaning in closer to keep eye contact as I felt my lips contort into something more mocking.

“Because I’m pretty sure we weren’t on first name basis in high school, Suzy. But here you are acting as if you’re my friend.” I carried on, never looking away even as something seemed to crack inside of her.

“Everyone knew who you were, Kurt Hummel. And I’m sure you wanted it that way,” she snapped, her shoulders straightening and her gaze sharpening as she glared at me. “And what I’m doing is for Finn’s sake, not yours.”

“Isn’t that for him to decide?” I retorted. Suzy took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut for a second before she stood up, her body still rigid.

“I’m not telling you, Kurt. If you really care about Finn, you’ll leave and you won’t come back. For anything.”

  
  


 

I was still fuming the next day. I couldn’t believe that Suzy had spoken to me like that; like I was some kind of idiot who would put Finn at risk. I never wanted to do anything to hurt Finn again. She just didn’t understand, we needed him to understand this whole mess and I needed to know he was okay and-

 

I took a deep breath and paused, staring down at the cup of coffee I’d just poured myself. For all I knew Suzy could be telling the truth. I might not mean to put Finn in danger but if the wrong person discovered I knew where he was, it could be bad. This time he might actually die. Something in my stomach clenched and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to will such thoughts away. I couldn’t think about that, I had to calm down. I’d never get anywhere if I let myself get too invested in my emotions. I stood there for a moment, breathing in and out, silently glad that Blaine wasn’t around to witness this. I’d stopped taking my pills and I had a feeling he knew so I didn’t want to give him the chance to question whether I was hurting myself or not. I needed to be able to control this emotional _thing_ if I was in danger again. Not being able to sense anything for even a few seconds could cost me my life. I took in another breath and released it when I heard a knock on the door. I looked down at the cup in my hands, I was no longer holding is so tightly and my hands weren’t shaking anymore. Good, I was calm again. I placed the cup down anyway, just in case. The person knocked on the door again and I hurried over.

“Hold on, I’ll be there in a second!” I called out, grumbling under my breath about how impatient some people were. I pulled the door open, expecting to find an annoyed neighbor or someone with a package or just something that made sense. But no one was there. I stepped forward, trying to see if someone had knocked on the door and ran off but I collided with something. I stepped back, blinking. Nothing was there. Before I could back off – and go back to bed as this was somehow the weirdest thing to happen to me recently and it had to be a dream – I felt a hand on my chest pushing me. I backed away then, scurrying into my apartment and grabbing the door so I could slam it into whatever invisible force had touched me. But it wouldn’t budge. All of a sudden it slammed shut and I pulled my hand away, staring at the space where the door had been just seconds before, the space where something was now materializing.

 

Shoes appeared first, large pair of converse that had obviously seen better days followed by jeans that couldn’t have been fitted properly and had a hole in the knee. It was as a dark green pullover started to appear that I began to realize who this could be. The hood and neck appeared, dark hair hanging lank around a face that looked shockingly familiar from the lips right up to the top of the head.

 

Right in front of me stood Finn Hudson.

  
  


  
  


 


	6. Chapter Six

 

I stumbled back, my legs colliding with the coffee table as I stared up at Finn. He was here, he was actually here and I was awake and dear god my head was getting muddled. I watched as one side of his lips quirked up in a familiar smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. I wanted to reach out, to touch him to see if he was real and to comfort him but I couldn’t move. I’d thought about seeing him again but I hadn’t expected him to just show up out of nowhere. I opened my mouth to greet him, to act as if this was something that happened every day but only a squeak came out. How embarrassing. Finn’s lips twitched slightly. And then he was coming towards me, his arms wrapping around me tightly in a hug that I hadn't known I'd needed. I’d always loved hugging Finn but I’d never liked asking for them. It made me feel too open too exposed to ask to be touched like that. Finn’s body was warm as he pulled me closer, his chest inviting as I found myself hugging him back and burying my face in his chest. I started to cry, my tears falling slowly as quiet sobs wracked my body. Finn shushed me gently, leaning down to drop a kiss on the top of my head.

“It’s okay, little bro. I’m here now,” he murmured. It was the nickname that stopped me crying. I pulled away, staring at him for a few seconds before I thumped at his chest, hard.

“Don’t you little bro me! We’re way past that stage, Finn Hudson,” I snapped, hitting him again. He unwrapped one of his arms from around my waist and grabbed both of my wrists in one of his large hands. I glared up at him, trying to ignore the sheepish grin on his lips and the amused look in his eyes as I tried to stay mad at him.

“I know, I’m sorry,” he told me. I could feel his sincerity radiating through his skin and I found myself relaxing even if I didn't want to.

 

Maybe if things had been different we could have stood there longer. This conversation was like old times and I didn’t want to ruin it with the present. But Finn’s eyes darted towards the clock and mine returned to Finn’s hair and clothes. He was a mess. Finn might have not cared about his appearance in the same way that I did but it was obvious that he'd been living rough.

“Sit down, Kurt. We need to talk,” Finn said as he strode forwards and took a seat on the couch. I stared at him, we did need to talk but he didn’t need to be so brusque about it.

“Right, well, I did have some questions,” I started and Finn shook his head, his eyes darting back to the clock.

“I don’t have time,” he insisted. Seriously, _he_ didn’t have time. He’d been gone for years and now he’d been here five minutes and already he wanted to rush off? There was no way in hell that I was letting that happen. I stopped in front of him, my arms crossed as I glowered down at him.

“Then make time,” I snapped. Finn’s mouth opened and closed for a second before he nodded, reaching up to rub at his eyes tiredly.

“It’s not as simple as that but okay. Ask away,” he responded. His defeated tone made me frown, I should have felt like I’d won but I still felt like he was in control. That wasn’t right; we weren’t in the glee club anymore. He couldn’t just give orders and expect everyone to follow. Clearly he hadn’t been forced to learn that during his time away. I wanted to scream and shout and tell him that this just wasn’t fair. I finally had him back and all he was making me do was want to fight him. I sighed heavily and clenched my fists a few times before I sat down beside him. 

 

“Why don’t you have much time?” I asked. It wasn’t the first thing I wanted to know and different questions screamed through my mind but if I didn’t ask what he wanted, he’d be slow to answer. If he did have serious time commitments, and they’d have to be damn good, then I didn’t want to make him miss them. Finn drummed a rhythm out on his thigh, frowning slightly as he tried to think of a way to explain. At least, that was what I hoped he was thinking.

“I shouldn’t be here. The same people who are after you want me back. If they realize that we’ve gotten into contact we’ll be in danger,” he answered. That made sense; we’d already assumed that the attacks on us and Finn were tied. Otherwise why would he have tried saving us?

“Who are these people?” I went on, keeping my questions connected for now. I wanted to know how he was alive, where he’d been why he’d never contacted me but they would have to wait. Finn paused, his hand stilling for a second.

“They work for the Sylvester Group,” Finn started, pausing when he saw the question in my eyes. “It’s nothing to do with Sue. I mean, her parents are something to do with it but she has no clue. They didn’t think she’d be good at the work,” he explained. Every answer he gave so far was just giving me more questions. Fuck, why couldn’t this just be simple? I frowned, trying to figure out what the next obvious question was to ask. Did I ask him about Suzy or Dr. Moore? No, wait, there was something more important that I needed to know. Maybe it should have been the first question I should have asked.

“Why do they want us?” Finn fell silent, his eyes meeting mine trying to tell me something without words. _You know_ , his eyes told me, and I thought I did but I needed to hear him say the words and confirm this. Finn sighed and finally told me,

“We’re part of an experiment. They’ve given us abilities and they want to use them.”

 

I had accepted that I had some sort of ability but it was because of some experiment? They’d done something to me, altered me in some way and now they wanted to cash in on that. I couldn’t believe it but…I had to admit it made sense. An experiment would explain how Finn, Santana, Rachel and I all seemed to be being targeted. We were all from the same town, had all probably been born in the same hospital and had all attended the same school. I still had to wonder when exactly they'd experimented on me but seeing as Finn hadn't mentioned it, I gathered I didn't need to know. I nodded slowly to show Finn that I’d understood and he let out a quiet sigh.

“I’m sorry that you had to find out. I came back to try and stop them from taking you but…” Finn’s voiced trailed off and the look on his face was so guilty that I had to reach over and pat his arm gently.

“It’s okay. There’s only so much one person can do,” I tried to reassure. Finn nodded rubbing at his eyes again before he tried to smile softly at me.

“I know. And now you’re all coming into your powers, you can help defend yourself,” he replied. I pulled my hand away as panic started to turn my stomach. He wasn’t going to leave us now, why was I even thinking that? I tried to stem the rising freak out but it was difficult. I felt Finn grab my hand and squeeze gently.

“Your abilities are developing, aren’t they?” he guessed. I nodded, trying to focus on the calmness that seemed to be flowing off of Finn. I took a deep breath and let my eyes fall shut until I felt it start to sink into me.

“They’re not supposed to do that without help. Your file says they think you had some sort of power in your blood anyway,” he told me. That didn’t really help but Finn kept his hand in mine, keeping me calm for now. I didn’t know what he was talking about but I was struggling to focus on it. I was becoming too relaxed; the stillness that was radiating off of Finn was making me tired. I hadn’t been sleeping well recently; a little nap wouldn’t hurt…

 

As I started to drift off I heard a rumble from next to me as a jolt of hunger shot through me. My eyes snapped open and I looked up to see Finn staring down at his stomach sheepishly. I could almost imagine him telling it off for making noises.

“When did you last eat?” I asked. Finn shrugged slightly,

“I had a slice of pie last night,” he answered. I sighed and tried not to think about how he probably got that tiny bit of food. I hated to think of him out there, especially looking like that, but I couldn’t exactly ask him to stay. How would I even explain that to Blaine? Welcome home, Blaine. I hope you don’t mind that my supposedly dead step-brother has come to stay with us. That would go down really well, not. I dropped Finn’s hand and could feel a headache forming on the left side of my head.

“C’mon, we’ll go out and get something to eat. I know somewhere you’ll love.”

  
  


  
  


The diner was situated on a corner a few blocks away from my apartment. I didn’t frequent it often but sometimes even I couldn’t ignore the call of their pancakes. They were just so damn good. We took a seat in a corner booth away from the window. Finn's eyes had darted around the place as we’d first sat down but he appeared more relaxed now. He sunk back into his seat as he picked up the menu and started to look through the options, his eyes slightly wide. I’d bet he hadn’t ate like this in a long while.

“Order anything you like. I don’t mind paying,” I told him. He looked up from the menu and quirked an eyebrow at me.

“Are you sure? What about if I order an extra-large breakfast with double everything?” He questioned, a smile hovering at the edge of his lips. I wrinkled my nose but nodded.

“Sure. Just try not to have a heart attack with it,” I commented. He laughed quietly and looked at the menu again. I perused it myself before I settled on the buttermilk pancakes, putting my menu back down. Before it touched the table though, Finn had grabbed it and placed it between us. I looked at him, slightly bewildered but the look on his face told me he’d explain in a minute. I sighed but didn’t argue as the waitress made her way over to us.

“Hey Sugars, what can I get for you?” she greeted. She was a peppy blonde with a big smile on her lips as she bounced on her toes. I couldn’t help but wander for a second if I’d ever seemed that desperate for tips when serving people. We both ordered our food and she left quickly, not giving either of us a second glance as she moved through to the back. Once I was certain she wouldn’t be coming back too soon, I turned back to Finn.

“Well, what’s with the menu?” I asked. He grinned at me and showed me his arm before he placed his hand on the other side of the menu that I couldn’t see.

Okay, feel around your side of the menu,” he told me. I raised an eyebrow but did as I was told, but only because I was intrigued by his strange behavior. I dropped my hand where I assumed his was on the other side only to land on something warm? I blinked at the space in front of me. There was nothing there but I could have sworn that I felt skin. It was like in front of my- oh. The realization sunk in and I found myself staring at Finn.

“You can turn invisible,” I said. He nodded and gestured for me to guess again. I squeezed his hand gently before I lifted it, expecting the menu to go flying but it didn’t move. “You can go through solid objects as well.” Finn nodded, I felt his hand relax underneath mine but before I could drop it, he’d grabbed hold of mine and I watched as it disappeared.

“I’m basically a living ghost who can bring others along for the ride,” he explained. He dropped my hand and seconds later the menu had been removed and he sat there with two arms completely visible.

“I’m guessing that’s how you got me home that night,” I mused, thinking back to the night I’d blacked out. It explained how he'd appeared and disappeared into thin air every time I'd seen him as well. He nodded and started to tap his fingers on the table, his eyes traveling the diner again. I wasn’t too sure if he was being overcautious or just looking for food.

“You scared me that night, Kurt,” Finn said. I almost didn’t hear him he was speaking so quietly and if I was honest, I didn’t know what to say to that. The food arrived just in time and Finn started on his food as soon as his plate was in front of him. That kind of worried me if I was honest. It was obvious he wasn’t eating enough. But I couldn’t meet up with him every day just to make sure he ate. I expected Finn wouldn’t agree with that either even if it did get him fed. I needed some way to make sure I could get in contact with him and some way to make sure he was clean and actually eating. I let my eyes drift across the room as I ate and caught sight of a young woman on a cell phone. That was it!

“Hey Finn, feel like going shopping after this?” I asked between mouthfuls. Finn didn’t even both finishing his mouthful before he started muttering his complaints.

  
  


  
  


The first stop after the diner had been the barbers. Finn hadn’t wanted to go but he looked ridiculous with his hair hanging in his face like that. Not to mention it needed a wash. I wasn’t walking around with him looking like he’d been living in a cardboard box for the last few weeks. Wait, he hadn’t had he? I shook the thought off and turned back to the chair Finn was sat in. The barber was finishing off, brushing the fallen hair off of his shoulders as Finn checked his reflection out in the mirror. He looked pleased with his new haircut. It wasn’t anything new or special, just how he’d always had it done in the past but somehow it made him look more like himself again.

 

The next thing he needed was fresh clothes and a bag to store a spare set in. I had to ignore my own preference for quality clothes and instead we got him a couple of clean things that he could destroy if necessary. But they at least fit better then clothes he’d buy on his own. We got a backpack after that and he stored the clothes in them. I told him that he could change around mine if he wanted but he refused. He didn’t want to put me in anymore danger then he already had but I told him we still had one last stop to make. We headed for the nearest Walgreens where I brought us a pre-paid cell each as well as a few toiletries for him. When he wasn’t looking I slipped some money in his bag where he’d easily find it. It wasn’t much and it might not last him long but it was all I could afford to give without making my finances look suspicious. It was when we stood outside that Finn finally found his voice.

“Are you sure this is such a good idea?” He asked.

“Yes. We need some way to contact each other and this is the safest way. You can’t trace them,” I told him. Actually, I didn’t know if that was true or not but getting myself a second prepaid to text Finn on seemed like the safest option. It was that or finding a tree to stick notes in and that just sounded like a stupid idea. Finn still looked conflicted but he eventually nodded and let out a shaky laugh.

“God, am I glad to have you back in my life, Kurt,” he said softly, that special little half smile of his on his lips. I couldn’t help but smile back, my heart beat picking up again.

“I’m glad to have you back too,” I replied. Finn moved forwards to pull me into another hug.

“We can’t do this again for a little while but if you need me then I’ll be over as soon as possible,” he reminded and I nodded my understanding. I still didn’t understand completely what they wanted to do with us but I did realize that we were in danger.

“I’ll see you in a few days then,” I said, pulling out of his arms. But Finn grabbed my arm before I could leave.

“I meant what I said. Even if you just need someone to talk to then call,” he insisted. I pulled my arm away from his gently, nodding again so he knew I’d heard him. It had been years since we’d last talked so I wasn’t sure I’d be able to talk to him about everything but I was so glad that he offered. And so, so glad that he was here.

 


	7. Chapter Seven

 

I couldn’t stop thinking of Finn that night. I still couldn’t get my head around everything he’d told me. We were both part of an experiment that had given us abilities and now they wanted us to join them. I wasn’t completely sure about that part, they wanted Finn back and I was certain of that but Rachel, Santana and myself? They hadn’t been watching us like they had Finn and our abilities were showing without their help. They might see us as a liability and want rid of us and that scared me. But then I’d remember that Finn was alive and happy to see me and all that faded away and was replaced with an idiotic grin. I was being stupid, sure, but I think I had an excuse for being stupid. Everything was going to shit around me but I also had one of the most amazing things my life back.

 

“Someone’s lost in thought,” Blaine’s voice said next to my ear, his breath hitting the back of my neck and making me jolt slightly. I looked away from the TV where I’d been pretending to stare to see my fiancé had finally joined me. He’d gotten home late today but had promised we could spend an evening in together for once. I wasn’t quite as pleased with that idea as he was but I didn’t let it show. I noted the fact he’d changed into lounge pants and a t-shirt and let myself relax. As close as he was I didn’t think he wanted sex right now.

“I ran into someone I used to know today. I was just thinking back to when we last spoke,” I told him. That was semi-true after all.

“Anyone I know?” Blaine asked.

“No.” It wasn’t like I could tell him the truth now, was it? Blaine nodded, accepting my lie before he relaxed back into the couch. He rested his head on my shoulder and I tried not to remember the fact I’d almost fallen asleep with Finn on this very couch this morning. We sat there watching the television for a few more moments before I felt a phone vibrate in my pocket. I reached down to pat it, to try and work out which phone it was. I felt something small and slightly rounded. It was the prepaid cell. I felt a smile grow on my lips and I hopped up to pull the phone out of my pocket, turning away from Blaine so he couldn’t see that it wasn’t my usual phone. I flipped it open and read the message:

**I found the money. U shouldn’t have.**

I sent back:

**Yes, I should have. You need to eat.**

I got a response only seconds later:

**Fine but I’m going to Cinnabon in protest.**

 

I stifled a laugh and slipped the phone back in my pocket, making my way to the kitchen to get a drink so I would have been standing up for a reason.

“Who was that?” Blaine called after me; I turned my head to see his head hanging over the back of the couch as he watched me curiously. I tried to wipe the smile off of my lips quickly but I knew it was too late, he’d already seen the stupid look on my face.

“It was just Rachel, she said something funny,” I lied. Blaine watched me for a few more seconds and there was something unsure in his eyes but he eventually nodded.

“Tell her hi from me,” he said as he turned back to the television. I let out a little sigh and focused on making myself a cup of tea. I had to be more careful, it was just Finn I was texting after all. I’d texted him millions of times in the past without getting all giddy, I guess once I got used to him being alive again things would go back to normal. And if not, well, I was an expert at lying by now.

  
  


  
  


“Who are you texting that’s so important?” Rachel asked as she sat back down next to me. We were in the diner I’d taken Finn to the other day having lunch. Santana had picked it and as soon as we’d sat down I’d texted Finn to tell him we were here. He’d asked if I wanted him to join him but I’d told him I wasn’t sure. I still hadn’t told the others I’d found Finn and I wasn’t sure him just walking into the diner to join us would go down well. We didn’t need Rachel fainting on us.

“And I’m pretty sure that’s not your phone,” Santana added as she eyed the old flip phone I had on the table in front of me. I shrugged in answer but I knew neither woman was going to accept that as a response.

 

I probably shouldn't have that phone on the table but obviously I subconsciously wanted a reason to tell them about Finn.

 

“You’re not cheating on Blaine, are you? I know he’s a hobbit but I thought we were all past that?” Santana went on. The laughter bubbled out before I could stop it. My god, it couldn’t be more different from an affair.

“No. I’m not. It’s Finn,” I admitted as I calmed down, wiping the tears from my eyes. I hadn’t realized I’d found it that funny. Neither had Santana or Rachel from the looks they were shooting each other.

“What exactly are you texting him?” Santana asked at the exact same moment Rachel burst out with:

“How did you get his number?” I explained things to them as briefly as I could. About how he’d turned up at mine unexpected and how he’d told me that we were all part of an experiment. I missed out the part about the happy reunion, I didn’t think it was necessary but as the girls lapsed into silence I wondered if I should have. No, there had been no point, it wouldn’t make the fact we were part of an experiment any less weird. Santana recovered quickest and she was still looking at me like she was trying to figure something out.

“Can you ask him to meet us?” Rachel’s voice drew my attention back to her. I could feel my mouth opening to make some sort of excuse as to why it wasn’t a good idea but nothing came out. I had no reason to stop them from seeing them and I wasn’t quite sure why I didn’t want them to see him when I'd been happy to tell them I had. I nodded and grabbed my phone off of the table, standing up so I could go and make the call in private.

  
  


  
  


Finn wound up not joining us at the diner. He told me that he didn’t really want to be seen there with me again. But he did give us a time and place to meet. He told us to wear sensible shoes because we were going somewhere that we didn’t want to trip up. That didn’t give me much of a clue but I’d popped home to change into a pair of jeans that I didn’t mind ruining as much and a pair of docs. My outfit kind of felt like I was back in high school again and the thought made me smile for a second. Then I had to check myself out in the mirror to see if I looked like a teenager. Fortunately I didn’t and I was on my way.

 

We were to meet at the subway station closest to mine because it was apparently closest to where we were headed. It meant a bit of a trek for Santana and Rachel who’d both had to go home to change their own shoes. The problem with city style was that it wasn’t very practical for anything other than walking around looking good. When I reached the platform that we’d agreed to meet I could see that Santana had changed into jeans and boots like me. Her jeans were as tight as my own but her boots had little heels. Rachel had simply switched her skirt to one that was a little looser and had exchanged her heels for flats. I raised an eyebrow at the pair of them and they shot me matching looks in return, which I had to admit made me laugh a little. I wasn't sure any of us were really dressed in anything that could be considered sensible.

“Any clue where we’re headed yet, ladies?” I questioned as I looked around the platform. Rachel pointed to the sign which informed us the next train on this platform would be headed into Brooklyn but I hadn’t needed to read the sign to know that. It didn’t really help us narrow down where we were going though.

“We’re getting off at Gowanus,” Finn’s voice said beside my ear. I jumped and whirled around to glare at him as Rachel and Santana simply stared, their mouths hanging open. Rachel seemed to pull herself together first. She straightened up, her eyes surprisingly clear as she murmured Finn’s name. She ran towards him throwing her arms around him. He held her gently, squeezing slightly as he murmured something in her ear. Seconds later and Santana was by their side, her hand touching Finn so cautiously that it was as if she still couldn’t be certain that he was real. I stepped back, not wanting to intrude on this private moment. It felt wrong to be watching them like this. Finn looked up from Rachel’s hair where he had buried it to meet my eyes and I felt a spark shoot through me. _It’s okay,_ his eyes told me, _you belong here just as much as they do._ I found myself smiling at him for a second before I turned away. We were all together now and it was going to be okay.

  
  


  
  


“Where exactly are we headed?” I asked as we stepped off the train in Gowanus. It wasn’t a part of Brooklyn I’d really had any reason to spend any time in before and looking around I could see why. It was clearly a more industrial neighborhood even if I could see a few techies getting off of the train with us. Finn was a few steps ahead of us and he turned his head slightly as he answered my question.

“You’ll have to see.” His lips were curled into that little one sided smirk and I scowled at him as we walked on, stomping a little harder than necessary just to show him that I wasn’t impressed. I heard Finn chuckle ahead of me moments before an arm slipped into mine.

“You two are getting along pretty well,” Santana mused as I switched my attention to her. I shrugged in answer, Finn and I had been getting along well for years. Well, we had been for the last few years we'd been together.

“You’re not getting too attached, are you?” Santana lowered her voice as we slowed down slightly, letting Rachel go ahead of us as she hurried to catch up with Finn, trying to match his stride so she could walk with him.

“It’s a little hard not to get too attached when you find out someone you thought was dead is actually alive,” I responded dryly. Santana didn’t reply to that, her brow furrowed into a frown as she stared at Finn’s back. I knew she was feeling what I had been. So glad to have Finn back but a little lost as to what was going on. I’d had a week to get used to having Finn back in my life again. They needed that time too before they’d understand. Eventually Santana relaxed and released my arm from hers, shooting me a pointed look as she did so.

“Just be careful, Kurt. You don’t want to get hurt right now,” she told me. She stalked ahead to join Finn and Rachel as they started to slow down in front of what looked like an abandoned building near a canal. There was a locked fence around it but the metal looked rusted and it didn’t appear as if anyone had been inside recently. But Finn didn’t stop by the gate, he kept moving until we were standing at the side of the building. Here he pulled at the fence until a gap appeared in the metal. Once it was wide enough for someone to slip through, he gestured we go ahead. I stepped in after Rachel and took a look at the building. It looked like it might have been a factory or a powerhouse or something once. We were led around to the back where there was a boarded up door. The boards came away easily as Finn grabbed at them and soon we found ourselves inside.

 

It was cleaner than expected. The walls inside were all painted white as if someone had attempted to cover up graffiti and it was pretty empty. But it was obvious that people resided here. Across one wall someone had piled up bricks and placed a flat sheet of wood, it appeared to be one of the boards that had been used on the doors, across it to turn it into a table. There were cans and forks scattered across it and they didn’t look like they’d been there long.

“What is this place?” I whispered as I looked around. It kind of felt like I had to be quiet or I’d wind up getting caught by I didn’t know who.

“This is where we’ve been staying,” Finn answered, raising his voice. Across the room a smaller door opened and Suzy’s head popped around a corner. Our eyes met and I felt anger start to stir in my stomach. She’d known where he was and had accused me of putting Finn at risk when here she was doing the same damn thing. I clenched my hands into fists and she fully stepped into the room, not dropping her gaze for a moment.

“It’s not what you think, Kurt. I’ve only been here a day,” she said. I pressed my lips together tightly, refusing to say anything to her as she stepped fully into the room and another figure started to make its way into the room. It took a few seconds before I recognized who it was. He reached out an arm towards Suzy and slung it around her waist, pulling her body snug next to his as he grinned at us all. He didn’t say anything but then again, he never had been much of a talker.

“Matt and I both arrived yesterday. Neither of us really knew where Finn was staying. Well, until he came and got us,” she explained. I stared at her, wondering why she was still speaking when it was obvious that no one wanted to talk to her. Okay, that I didn’t want to talk to her but no one else was saying anything either. I saw her lips tug up into a small smile and she shook her head.

“I know you don’t want to speak to me, Kurt, but I’m a mind reader. We’re having this conversation whether you want to or not.” I cursed out loud at that and tried not to frown as Finn stepped up beside me.

“I thought they could help you guys,” he said.

“How are they supposed to help?” Santana demanded, crossing her arms over her chest as she stepped in front of me. Clearly I wasn’t the only one who had a problem here.

“They’re going to help you get control of your powers,” Finn told her. This time we all fell silent.

 

Although we’d all sort of come to terms with the fact we had these abilities, that we weren’t imagining things or crazy, it was still weird to hear other people talk about it. To hear they had powers to and that they could actually use them. I couldn’t help but be curious at what Matt could do and how they were going to help us. Finn took the quiet as an opportunity to take charge again.

“None of us here have the same powers but we can still help. If you use your powers on us then we can teach you how to control them…sort of,” Finn started, shooting Rachel a nervous look as he trailed off. Wait, what exactly could Rachel do? It wasn’t dangerous, was it? Finn must have seen the panic on his faces as he sighed.

“I’m guessing you guys haven’t been gossiping about what you can do?” He questioned and Rachel shook her head. Well, what did he expect? I’d been led to think I was crazy since I was seventeen, I wasn’t about to start talking about it openly so quickly after finding out I wasn’t imagining things. Before I could point that out, Finn had started to speak again.

“Rachel, your power is mind manipulation. Suzy’s going to work with you so you can learn the difference between commands and telling people things normally. Santana, you’re a pheromone manipulator and since you sorta had a thing with Matt, you’re with him.” Suzy shot a glare his way as he mentioned Santana’s thing with Matt.

“Didn’t you ‘sorta’ have a thing with Santana too, Finn? Why don’t you work with her,” Suzy snapped, actually doing air quotes around the word sorta. Finn winced a little and he kind of looked like an apologetic puppy as he turned to her.

“I just think me and Kurt would-,” He broke off for a second, his face flushing, “And anyway, Matt can always turn into someone she actually wants if it doesn't work!” he finished, nodding a little to enthusiastically as if he was glad he finally got his point across. Suzy humphed but Matt squeezed her gently and whispered something in her ear. She seemed to relax and she moved over to Rachel, a smile on her face again as she offered her arm.

“We’ll go to my room for a little privacy and you can start bossing me around,” she said. Immediately, Rachel took it and started asking questions. I couldn’t quite catch what she was saying but I could have sworn I heard Finn’s name several times. Santana and Matt were eying each other up cautiously. It kind of looked like they were getting ready to fight.

“Kurt, do you want some privacy to do this?” Finn’s voice reached my ears and I turned to see him standing next to me again. I shook my head, if Santana could do her pheromone thing in here then I didn’t mind standing around and feeling what Finn felt. As long as I didn’t pick up on any of the lust coming from the others, I would be fine.

“Okay, come here,” Finn said and I moved closer to him. He held his hands out in front of him and I linked mine with his, meeting his eyes carefully. I took a deep breath and tried to find my focus. I hadn’t used my powers since the last time I’d seen Finn so I’d figured I’d been getting them under control but the focus didn’t seem to be sticking. I could see emotion in Finn’s eyes, regret and guilt interspersed with relief that seemed to shift into fear every now and then. I could see it but I couldn’t feel it, I almost didn’t want to. I wasn’t as strong as Finn; I wouldn’t be able to cope with that. I’d break down right in front of him and I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t break down in front of anyone. I bit my bottom lip and tried to focus again but nothing was happening. Frustration started to well up inside of me seeping through into my touch as I tried to feel what Finn wanted me to feel. Why couldn’t I do this? I looked down for a second and then up again as Finn squeezed my hands gently before he pulled one away and pulled me forwards. I didn’t argue, just followed him as he led me towards a smaller door. He opened it and the room was painted black. It looked as if someone had been living here for a while but I could only see a few of Finn’s things scattered about. He pushed me gently onto the mattress that made the bed and he sat down beside me, releasing my hand.

“Relax,” he told me. I snorted and shook my head, burying my face in my hands for a second as I tried to do what he was telling me to.

“I can’t relax and I can’t do what you’re asking me to either,” I insisted. I heard Finn sigh before I felt a warm hand press against my lower back. My shirt had ridden up slightly as I’d sat down and Finn was, he was stroking the skin there gently. My breath hitched in my throat for a second but I slowly relaxed, enjoying the feel of the heat on my skin. It was fucked up but somehow that little touch felt more intimate then any touch from Blaine. I let my eyes fall shut for a second and I focused once again. This time I felt curiosity brushing gently against my bare skin, imprinting into my back and exploring down the back of my jeans. I shuddered slightly and the curiosity intensified.

“You want to know what I’m feeling.” I guessed, finally finding my voice. Finn nodded and I swallowed before I focused on sending the emotion back to Finn. Just like with Jacob the emotion was intensified but I realized too late that I might have sent too much of myself with it. Finn’s lips formed an ‘o’ shape and his hand stilled. He reached out for me and I shifted, moving onto his lap as he gestured. It was kind of awkward and an unrecognizable emotion seeped through my skin, traveling up through me until it muddled my head up. I felt relaxed and as if I was losing my focus but Finn’s emotions remained as his free hand joined the other one on my back. I felt them moving up my back, his fingers exploring the skin it found there. Curiosity was there mixed with confusion and guilt that wrapped itself around my throat and tried to choke me. But tendrils of that unknown emotion stroked my skin, calming me enough that the darkness slipped away. I opened my mouth to say something, my gaze focused on Finn’s lips when the guilt started to wind its way up my legs. It whispered to me that what we were doing was wrong. That this was just because we were both so highly strung. We hadn’t seen each other in years so we couldn’t even really know each other anymore. It wrapped around my chest, trapping me as the tendrils stroked at my throat. I gasped and pushed myself off of Finn’s lap, falling onto the floor below with a thump. Finn stared down at me bewildered, his hands still open but something akin to relief in his eyes. I didn’t know what had been going on but something there had felt too intimate and it just wasn’t right. I pushed myself slowly to my feet and Finn averted his gaze.

“I think that’s enough for today.”

 


	8. Chapter Eight

 

Finn continued to train me after our moment but I refused to let him touch me. Instead we focused on how I could hone my ability to feel emotions from a distance. It only usually happened when I was emotional and within a small space but I was learning how to work with it.

 

“What do you sense?” Finn asked. I stood there with my eyes shut, breathing deeply as I sensed everything that was going on around me. In front of me I could feel a pool of calm, a sparking of worry, and curiosity in equal amounts. I was able to remain relaxed with Finn here because I knew he wouldn’t let his emotions get the better of him during training, not when he was training with me anyway. But as my reach grew I started to feel the emotions that came from the other room. Lust started to circulate through my system. It seemed to fill the air around me until it was all I could breathe in. I felt my skin start to tingle as desire throbbed through my veins and rushed downwards. I took a shaky breath as I squeezed my eyes shut even tighter than necessary. I had to fight it. I was just feeling Santana’s power.

“Kurt.” Finn’s voice grabbed at my attention and my eyes snapped open. He was leaning against the wall, his sweatshirt unzipped and the tank he wore beneath it visible. I wanted to trace his collarbones with my lips, to press kisses down, down, down his chest. I stepped towards him and licked my lips, my eyes dropping to his groin. A few more steps and our chests were pressed together. His breath caught in his throat and I watched as his eyes clouded over with my touch.

“We need to start training away from Santana,” I told him. He nodded, his arms wrapping loosely around my hips as his hands squeezed my ass gently.

“We probably should,” he agreed but seconds later we were kissing. His touch was as desperate as mine and I only wondered for a second if was just because of what I was making him feel. But making someone feel the lust you felt wasn’t the same as making them want to have sex with you. One of Finn’s hands slipped down my pants and as I felt him take hold of me-

 

I woke up with a jolt. I cursed silently, shifting about in bed as I tried to turn away from Blaine carefully. I was hard and awake and now I had to deal with this. Why had I even had a dream like that? The beginning of the dream was real, I knew that. We’d trained together today and I may have wound up getting a little too close to Finn but he hadn’t responded. Not this time, not like in the dream. I sighed and tried to get comfortable again. Maybe if I ignored my erection it would go away? Okay, I was old enough to know that that wasn’t happening but if I moved then Blaine would wake up and he’d want to know what was going on. I shifted slightly again and felt movement at my back. Shit, too late.

“Kurt, what’s wrong? Did you have another nightmare?” Blaine’s sleepy voice asked as he slung an arm around to my front. His wrist brushed against my erection and I couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped my lips.

“Oh, it was that sort of dream,” Blaine murmured. I could feel him smiling against my neck as he started to press kisses across it. I wanted to tell him to stop it, that I didn’t want to do this right now. But that would seem suspicious and then Blaine might realize that I’d been lying to him all these years. He’d be hurt and I’d be left alone. So instead I rolled over and pressed our lips together as I reached out for the bottle on the bedside table.

  
  


  
  


I was exhausted the next morning. I never could sleep after Blaine and I had sex these days. I would be wracked with guilt for hours afterward over how I was using him. It didn’t matter that half the time he made me feel unwanted and unworthy, like I was lucky to have anyone let alone him in my life. None of that mattered. I cared about him and I didn’t want to see him hurt so I continued on with this charade knowing that one day I would wind up all alone and I’d deserve it. I tried to shake those thoughts out of my head as I entered the power house. I couldn’t let my own emotions distract me, it would just mess things up and I couldn’t risk that. If we’d gotten hold of ourselves enough we’d be starting combat training today. I hoped it wouldn’t be too taxing as I had a show tonight and it was going to be hard enough to focus on anything as it was. Santana was already in the main room but for once she didn’t look like she was getting ready to practice her abilities. She had sweat pants on with a tank top and she practicing punches with Puck. I almost tripped over when I recognized him. The last time I’d heard from Puck he’d been headed to jail. I still wasn’t sure why if I was honest but he’d never said anything to anyone. He’d never even asked to see any of us. It was almost as if he’d disappeared off of the earth. I guess now we knew why. I couldn’t help but wonder what his ability was if he was teaching us combat. I watched them for a few minutes and I felt a hand touch my shoulder.

“You ready?” Finn’s voice asked, I looked over my shoulder and nodded in answer.

“Ready as I’ll ever be. Are we going straight into combat?” I responded, turning slightly as Finn moved beside me. He looked between me and Santana for a moment, his face conflicted before he relaxed and nodded.

“Yeah, I think you’re ready. We can’t really practice with Santana around anyway.” I rolled my eyes at that but Finn didn’t seem nervous or uncomfortable. I nudged his shoulder playfully with mine and he cracked a bigger smile as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me forwards.

“C’mon. We have a long day ahead of us.”

  
  


  
  


Finn wasn’t kidding when he said we had a long day ahead of us. Puck started us from the beginning, teaching us how to punch correctly and how to dodge. He told us once we got the hang of this then he’d teach us how to use a weapon. It was hard work and it was frustrating but it would be worth it. I knew it would.

 

“Make sure you step into your punch. You’ll do more damage that way,” Puck instructed as I punched at Finn. As soon as my fist made contact, I pulled away and shifted my position so I could make the changes. I felt Puck’s hands on my legs as he shifted my stance slightly before he moved onto Rachel. I didn’t miss how careful he was being with her. Maybe I should tell him later that she isn’t interested. Then again, who was I to talk? I was in a relationship with someone I wasn’t interested in; maybe Rachel would prefer that to being alone too. I felt my fist make contact with Finn’s stomach and I heard him catch his breath as he stumbled back slightly.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry,” I apologized as I rushed over to Finn, crouching down beside him so I could read how hurt he was by his face. He was fine, just a little winded but I still felt guilty.

“You’re not supposed to be putting everything into it yet,” he said, rubbing at his stomach slightly as he tried to get his breath back.

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m just distracted today, I didn’t get much sleep.” Finn raised an eyebrow in question and I felt my cheeks color. I’m pretty sure that I didn’t imagine it when his face fell and he scowled.

“No, it wasn’t like that. Well, it was but-,”I stopped speaking and shook my head; I shouldn’t have to explain myself to him. I hadn’t done anything wrong really. I’d had sex with my fiancé, so what? I tried to stare Finn down but he just looked down and got into position.

“Your turn to block,” he warned. Before I’d even managed to get into a defensive stance he’d rushed at me, turning suddenly and hitting me with his shoulder rather than his fists. I dropped to the ground hard and tried to roll away. If I could just get far enough away then I could push back onto my feet quickly… But I wasn’t quick enough and Finn’s foot caught me in the ribs before he stopped above me, one foot on my chest to hold me in place.

“That wasn’t fair,” I gasped out and Finn simply shrugged.

“A real fight won’t be fair. You have to be ready. You can’t afford to be distracted,” he said. He held out a hand to help me up but I pulled myself to my feet glaring at him.

“You mean we can’t afford to have any problems that don’t involve you,” I argued, lashing out with my fists. Finn moved out of my way quickly and I was knocked off balance but only for a second. I recovered quickly and turned, kicking out and hitting Finn in the stomach with a quiet oomph. As he tried to get his breath back I kicked again, my leg colliding with the back of his shins. Already out of breath, Finn didn’t have the chance to try and keep his balance and his knees smashed into the ground as I crouched down beside him. I leaned in close, listening to his heavy breathing as I ran a gentle finger down his neck.

“This is where if I had a knife, I’d slit your throat, right?” I murmured. Finn nodded but grabbed hold of my hand before I could do anything else. I felt eyes on my back as Finn used my arm as leverage to get to his feet before he pulled me up beside me. I looked around and everyone else had stopped what they were doing to watch us. I could feel a blush heating up my cheeks but I forced it back down, forcing on an icy demeanor so no one would realize how embarrassed I was.

“That was much better. You’ve always got to be ready,” Finn said loudly. That seemed to be the cue everyone was waiting for as they returned to their own training, only Rachel’s eyes remained on us and only for a few more seconds. We were returned to relative privacy and Finn leaned in to speak to me quietly.

“But don’t mention knives unless you’re prepared to use one,” he added. I froze for a second. I’d actually told him that I would slit his throat. How could I have said that- how could I even do that to anyone? Surely beating them down would be enough? I’d been mad and it had been a threat, I didn’t think I could actually kill anyone. Or at least, I didn’t want to think that I would be able to. No, this wasn’t what we were being trained for. I shook my head and tried to focus on sparring again. Finn didn’t try to take me by surprise anymore and I didn’t mention the fact I was still pissed at him. Part of me knew he was right after all, we couldn’t afford any distractions. It might have gone unspoken but we were doing this for a reason. We didn’t want to be kidnapped or forced into hiding for the rest of our lives because of something that was forced upon us. We wanted to live, to be free and the only way that was going to happen was if we took the Sylvester Group down. But we were going to have to do that without killing anyone. I wasn’t sure if any of us could handle that.

  
  


  
  


“I think we need to talk,” Finn said as I grabbed a bottle of water after training. He was right, we did, but whether we were on the same page or not was another story. I raised an eyebrow and gestured for him to go on as I drained the bottle. It turns out that fighting is thirsty work and that I was in fact going to be incredibly tired tonight, which was just great. Luckily the next day was Monday so I’d have the day off but…it was still pretty irritating that I had to work myself so hard after having slept so little. Finn cleared his throat, shifting about uncomfortably as he tried to think of something to say. I’d give him to the count of five and if he didn’t have anything to say then I’d just leave. One, two, three, four, fiv-

“Can we go back to yours? I don’t want anyone to overhear.” That hadn’t been what I’d expected to hear. I ran my fingers through my hair, I wasn’t quite sure when Blaine would be back today and I didn’t want him walking in. Not if I was going to have to explain about my relationship with him. Which I still thought was a ridiculous idea; I was a grown man who could make his own decisions. If I wanted to be in a relationship with him, I would. The fact I didn’t love him shouldn’t matter. Finn looked at me with that puppy dog expression of his and I found myself relenting and agreeing that he could come over.

 

The journey back to mine was silent. Neither of us wanted to make polite conversation, not when we didn’t know what terms we were going to be on after today. I was hoping that Finn wanted to apologize, that he’d realized that he’d had no reason to be angry with me earlier. I knew I shouldn’t get distracted and I wouldn’t make that mistake again and that was what mattered. But once we were in my apartment and Finn had shut the door behind us, I felt the mood change and it wasn’t for the better.

 

“Why are you even still with him?” Finn demanded straight away. I bit back a groan; he’d had to ask that, hadn’t he? I crossed my arms over my chest and stepped away from him, refusing to meet his eyes.

“I realized it was for the best,” I said. Finn snorted and I could feel the anger starting to rise inside of me but I pushed it down. This wasn’t going to turn into a fight. We didn’t need that right now. I lifted my head and met his eyes, my lips pressed into a thin line as I started to explain my reasoning.

“There wasn’t anyone else around for me, Finn. It was Blaine or no one and once you were gone I needed someone. I couldn’t just repay his kindness by ending things.” My words seemed to go in one ear and out the other as he shook his head at me.

“I was hoping that you were just living together as friends. That you’d manned up and finally admitted to him that you didn’t love him. That he made you unhappy but I guess even that was too much for you,” he snarled and that was it. I wasn’t going to stand there and take that. He didn’t understand.

“You think this has been easy for me? That I’d rather be unhappy then single? It’s not that fucking simple, Finn,” I argued as I squeezed my arms, my nails digging into skin as I glared up at him. When he snorted I choked out an exasperated sound and turned my back on him. If I was going to do this I needed a drink. Screw going into work tonight, I was calling in sick and getting drunk. I grabbed a bottle of wine out of the fridge.

“I can’t just leave him, Finn. Not now. I need him. He’s been all I’ve had for years. Okay, maybe he doesn’t treat me right half the time but I don’t deserve to be treated well. What type of person lies to a person for years and pretends to be in love with them? What type of person basically gets someone they do love almost killed because they were having a tantrum? What type of person does all that?” I ranted as I poured myself a glass, my hands shaking and wine spilling onto the counter top. When the glass was full I put the bottle down and gulped at my glass, ignoring Finn until I turned around to face him.

“Kurt, you’re not a bad person,” Finn tried to tell me but I snorted. He didn’t know the half of it; he didn’t even really know me anymore. Who had I been kidding trying to keep him to myself? There was no way he’d want to spend any more time with me when he found out what I’d become.

“You’re not. I’ll agree that you shouldn’t have lied for so long but…at least tell me he makes you feel better about yourself. That I’ll leave and he’ll come home and put a smile on your face,” Finn replied, a slight pleading note in his tone. I looked up and finally met his eyes again.

“He won’t,” I said. Finn scowled, his fist smashing into the fridge making me jump. I tightened my grasp on the glass in my hand. He stood there for a few moments but I didn’t dare say a word as he breathed heavily. Eventually he turned his back and headed back out of the kitchen.

 

“You’re coming back with me. Pack a bag,” Finn stated. I stared after him, trying to process what he was saying. If I went with him then I’d have to go into hiding and it would be more difficult to get to work and and-

“I can’t just go with you! My whole life is here,” I cried out as I followed after him, leaving my glass on the counter. He’d found one of the bags under the bed and he was grabbing clothes from my side of the wardrobe with no thought to what went with what. I stormed forwards and grabbed the bag off of him, trying to push him away from the wardrobe.

“You’ll still be in the city and you’ll still have your friends,” he said and my god, I wanted to punch him right now.

“I’m not throwing everything away at your say so. I’m not doing that to Blaine and I’m not doing that to myself,” I argued. Finn growled and something flashed in his eyes as he grabbed me by the arm.

“You’re going to die if you stay here,” he snapped and I rolled my eyes. He was being so melodramatic. It wasn’t that bad, I would be fine for now and once this was over, then I could reevaluate my relationship with Blaine. But I wasn’t about to tell Finn that. In fact, I wasn’t about to say anything. I wasn’t fighting about this anymore. I dropped the bag to the floor behind me and I moved closer to him, glaring up at him defiantly, daring him to make me move. He seemed to pause for a moment and then his face was leaning in closer to mine. I tried to move away but his hand gripped my arm tighter and kept me there.

“I’m sorry,” he said. His lips crushed against mine and I gasped. His hand slid down my arm and around my waist, pulling me even tighter to him. I could feel his heart pounding in his chest but I couldn’t catch any emotion quickly enough to work out what he was feeling. As he nipped at my bottom lip gently, I relaxed into the kiss, completely confused but unwilling to let this opportunity go. My arms wound around his neck and I felt him chuckle as my fingers tangled into his hair. I tugged at the short hair at the nape of his neck and he stopped laughing and allowed me to deepen the kiss. I felt him push me back gently towards the bed and the back of my knees hit the frame as I heard a gasp. I froze for a second and slowly pulled away to see Blaine standing in the doorway.

 

Oh shit.

 

Finn pulled away and shot me an apologetic expression before he turned back to Blaine who stood there with his mouth hanging open. I wanted to come up with a good explanation but I couldn’t. My head was still buzzing from the kiss and all I felt was a sick sense of relief in my stomach. There was no way Blaine would stay with me now. I’d feel guilty in the morning and I knew it but for now…at least I wouldn’t have to live a lie anymore.

“Finn…?” Blaine croaked out as he stared at the man standing next to me. Finn nodded slowly and held out a hand towards Blaine who just shook his head.

“This can’t be real. You’re- you’re dead. This is a dream,” he said, shaking his head. I finally found my voice. A little voice in the back of my head told me to lie, to say that this was just a dream and everything would be fine when he woke up. But I couldn’t. I might not have kissed Finn first, I might not have planned it but I hadn’t pushed away and I had wanted to kiss him. I didn’t want to think of why right now, he hadn’t been back in my life for long, but that didn’t mean that it would be okay to lie to Blaine. I’d been waiting for Blaine to end things and now this was it.

“He’s alive, Blaine. I found him a couple of weeks ago,” I admitted, swallowing hard as Blaine turned on me with watery eyes. He shook his head but I could see his brain working on the time line. I saw as realization hit him.

“That’s why you’ve been acting so weird. Who you’ve been texting,” Blaine muttered and all I could do was nod. I wanted to explain more but Finn placed a hand on my shoulder and leaned in.

“Some people from the Sylvester Group are on their way up. I have to go,” he whispered. He pecked me on the cheek before he rushed out past Blaine. I expected he’d disappear soon but at least I wouldn’t have to explain that to Blaine as well. I didn’t know how he knew but I’d be getting some answers later. Blaine was still stood there silent and I moved into the living room to wait. I wasn’t going to start this conversation right now; I had other things to worry about. Like the people who were knocking at my front door.

 

I opened it to see two men stood there in police uniforms. I took them in carefully, noting every detail carefully. I couldn’t see anything about them that looked fake. If Finn hadn’t warned me then I’d have probably believed they were real.

“Are you Kurt Hummel?” One of the officers asked and I nodded.

“What can I do for you, officers?” I heard footsteps behind me so I knew Blaine was behind me somewhere. I just hoped he didn’t feel like speaking up any time soon.

“We just want to ask you a few questions about someone you’ve been seen with recently.” The taller man told me. I assumed he was in charge as the shorter man had yet to say anything and kept looking up at the other man. I wondered if he didn’t have a copy of the necessary script or something.

“Go ahead. I’ve not spent any time with anyone new recently.” After that the men asked me a string of questions that I could easily lie about. Had I seen anyone strange recently? Had I heard from anyone I thought could be in trouble? Had I been threatened recently? I answered no to all of their questions and eventually they looked like they were running out of steam. As the taller man looked ready to give up, the shorter man finally spoke up.

“One more question, Mr. Hummel. Someone who matches the description of your brother has been seen around recently? Has anyone claiming to be him been in contact?” The question made me pause. If I hadn’t known they were lying before I would have now. How would the NYPD have known about Finn without good reason to contact the Ohio police? Alarm bells were ringing in my ears now and I shook my head.

“No, I’m sorry I’ve not been any help, officers. I think you might have the wrong person,” I told them. They told me that it was okay and turned to leave and left me with a number in case I heard anything. The moment the door was shut behind me I ripped up the card and dropped it in the bin. Blaine was sat on the couch, watching me. I moved closer to him, ready to finally sit down and talk it out. I’d deal with Finn tomorrow, he’d known about the fake officers and somehow he’d known Blaine had been on his way home. I was pissed and he was going to have to deal with that tomorrow. For now I had to patch things up with Blaine so things wouldn’t be even more awkward then I could already feel them becoming.

 

As I reached the couch, Blaine stood up and started to move slowly away from me.

“Why did you lie to the police?” He wanted to know.

“They weren’t the police,” I said. Blaine shook his head and I could see that he didn’t want to believe me but the men had made themselves suspicious. The shorter one shouldn’t have mentioned Finn and I’m sure he’d be shouted at when he got back to headquarters. I hope he got fired.

“I can’t do this. Whatever’s going on, I don’t want to know. I’ll call you,” Blaine muttered, disappearing into the bedroom. Minutes later he returned with a bag I assumed was hastily packed with his clothes. He paused by the door to pull a key off of his key chain and he dropped it in the bowl by the front door. And then he was gone.

 


	9. Chapter Nine

 

When I arrived at the power house early the next morning it didn’t look like anyone was up. Unfortunately for Finn I didn’t care if he was awake or not. I hadn’t been able to sleep again the night before. I was exhausted and I’d had two large cups of coffee on my way over. I was wired and angry and I just needed to shout at someone. I was still struggling to process the night before. Had Blaine really left me? Had Finn really kissed me? Had he meant it? I could remember him apologizing before his lips had touched mine but had he been sorry for making me mad or sorry for what he was about to do? And how had he even known that Blaine or those fake cops were coming up? All these questions circled around my head as I stormed my way over to the room I knew Finn had claimed. I wrenched the door open, my mouth open ready to scream only to find that Finn wasn’t in there. But Rachel was curled up underneath the blankets. I blinked at her, my hold on the door tightening as I tried to figure out what was going on. Nothing made sense right now and I was hoping that I’d somehow fallen asleep on the train over. I watched as Rachel started to stir. She blinked, slowly sitting up as she took me in, the blankets slipping down her body to reveal that she was wearing the shirt Finn had brought the other day.

“Kurt? What are you doing here?” she asked as she fought off a yawn. I wanted to ask her the same question.

“I was looking for Finn. Something happened last night,” I answered. Rachel nodded, slowly getting to her feet and revealing she had nothing on her legs. I felt something in my stomach clench and I bit back the desire to screech at her.

 

“You’re here early,” a male voice said behind me. I turned around to see Finn stood there in nothing more than a pair of unfamiliar sweats. I guess he’d brought them with the money I’d given him, they’d be more comfortable to sleep in then jeans but he had to be freezing without a shirt on.

“I thought I should catch you up on what happened after you left last night. I didn’t realize you were busy,” I replied, my eyes flitting between Finn and Rachel. A blush so light that I wouldn’t have noticed it if I hadn’t been looking colored Rachel’s cheeks and I took that as all the proof I needed. I turned to leave, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to train with them today anymore. I know I’d just wind up hurting the pair of them for no reason.

“Wait, Kurt, you can’t leave. They’re onto us,” Finn called after me. I paused, thinking back on the visit I’d had the night before. I knew he was right, hell, I’d wanted to talk to him about it but then I’d seen _that_ and god, I didn’t know if I was in the mood for serious conversation anymore. I turned back to him and met his eyes. He looked guilty but I just pressed my lips together even tighter. He wasn’t winning me over this time.

“You’re right. Then men who turned up last night asked about you,” I said. I heard more movement and when I turned my head I saw Santana had popped her head out from behind a door and Matt stood with Suzy in the next doorway, he looked tired but Suzy was clearly wide awake, she was practically vibrating. I wondered how much coffee she’d had. 

“What did you tell them?” Suzy asked.

“That I had no clue what they were talking about. They left pretty quickly after that,” I answered, everyone else in the room seemed to visibly relax but there was still tension in the air. I don’t know how I hadn’t noticed it before.

“What’s going on? How did you even know someone was coming up yesterday?” I questioned as I turned on Finn. I watched as different emotions flickered across his face before it settled on uncertain.

“I asked Suzy to follow after us. She can telepathically pass on messages as well as read others thoughts,” he explained. So Suzy had been watching the front entrance and she’d told Finn that Blaine was coming up as well as the fake officers. That was why he’d kissed me; he’d wanted Blaine to see me kissing someone else. Wow, he really had been determined to mess up my life. He must have seen something on my face because he seemed to be trying to get past me and into his room.

“I thought something like this might happen so it’s a good job Suzy came,” he muttered. It was a shitty excuse but I doubted he would be giving me anything better.

“So what exactly are we doing now if I can’t leave?” I demanded before Finn could shut the door on me. Rachel was pulling a skirt up over her hips and I stuck my foot in the doorway so I wouldn’t leave them alone for even a second. Finn’s eyes seemed to dart between me and Rachel before he sighed and bent down to pull a t-shirt out of the backpack stuffed into one of the corners.

“We’re all leaving together. We have another place staked out and we’re going into hiding,” Finn told me.

“They brought me and Santana over last night in preparation. I asked why you hadn’t come back but Finn said you’d be fine,” Rachel said as she stood up beside Finn. She didn’t look too close to him but there were plenty of rooms in this place, she could have easily found somewhere else to sleep.

“I was. But why are you in Finn’s room. Are you two…,” I trailed off, focusing on Rachel and only Rachel as Finn seemed to go still. It served him right if he felt awkward.

“I didn’t want to be alone so Finn said I could stay with him. Nothing happened,” Rachel said. I wish I could say I didn’t hear any disappointment in her tone but I did and I understood. She needed him just as I did and she was going to take anything she could get as long as it meant Finn was still in her life. But knowing that didn’t stop me from being annoyed. Rachel followed after me as I moved further back into the main room.

“Don’t you need to change your shirt?” I pointed out but she kept following me.

“It doesn’t matter. I just want to talk to you,” she insisted. I almost turned on her then and there but there would have been no point. She didn’t know why I was mad and if I started screaming then we could bring unwanted attention on the place. We already have to leave; I didn’t want to give the Sylvester Group any reason to come barging in here before we’d made it to our new hiding place. So I just sighed and turned to her, sliding down the wall to sit on the ground and patting a spot on the floor next to me.

“Then talk away.”

 

Rachel shot me a grateful look as she sat next to me, hugging her knees to her chest as she toyed with the bottom of her shirt.

“Finn being back is very confusing,” she started. I couldn’t argue with that so I kept quiet, waiting for her to say what she had to say. “I thought if we found each other again we’d fall into each others arms and everything would be perfect again.”

“But it hasn’t been how you imagined?” I replied, finally turning to look at her properly. She looked so resigned and I knew that whatever she had to say, it wasn’t going to be oh by the way, Finn and I are dating again.

“No not at all. Don’t get me wrong, I’m overjoyed that we have him back but it doesn’t feel the same,” she admitted with a sigh. I didn’t like seeing her looking like that, no matter how mad I’d been earlier.

“I don’t expect things usually feel the same when you’re running for your life,” I joked and Rachel cracked a smile as she shook her head at me.

“It’s not just that. I don’t think I’m what he needs right now. And anyway, I think you’re distracting him far more then I am,” she replied, nudging me slightly. I opened my mouth to argue and Rachel laughed at me quietly.

"You've gone bright red! I didn't mean like that," she teased which of course made me blush even brighter.

"Well what did you mean?" I mumbled, shifting slightly away from her as Rachel tried to rest her head on my shoulders.

"I just mean that things seem to be easier for him around you." I thought that over for a second before I nodded. She had a point but I'd put that down to the fact he'd been in contact with me longer. Maybe it was that mixed with the fact I'd always been more empathetic towards him then Rachel had. It made sense really. I settled back against the wall, content to sit in silence with Rachel for a little while before we had to actually move and get things done. I didn't expect we'd get to just stand around as everyone packed things up and got ready to move. I just hoped there wouldn't be too much stuff, everyone here was on the run after all. It just wouldn't be practical.

"Did something happen between you two?" Rachel asked, her voice little more than a whisper. I looked down at her and she must have seen the panic on my face because she'd grabbed hold of my hand and squeezed it gently.

"I'm not upset. I just wanted to know since you seemed to assume I meant something romantic," she explained. I sighed and rested my head on hers.

"Nothing happened. Not really," I admitted finally

"What does not really mean?" I opened my mouth, about to tell her before I paused. Did I really need to mention the fact that Finn kissed me? Because then I'd have to tell her that Blaine had ended things with me and I knew she'd want to talk more about that. She nudged me gently with her arm and I knew I had to tell her the truth. I had to talk to somebody and I wasn't sure if I wanted that person to be Santana, let alone anyone else.

"He kissed me but it was just so Blaine would see. He didn't think I should still be with him.” Rachel moved away so she could meet my eyes, frowning.

"Why would he not want you to be with Blaine? What aren't you telling me?" she demanded. I knew that this was going to happen.

 

I settled down to tell her about Blaine. About how I'd never really been in love with him and how the attraction had worn thin years ago but I hadn't wanted to end things. About how I'd admitted that to Finn when I'd found out Blaine was about to propose and how Finn had promised to be there. I told her how mad I'd been when Finn hadn't turned up and that how that was the conversation Finn and I had been having before he'd been in that crash. She'd listened carefully and had hugged me tightly.

"You shouldn't have felt that way, Kurt. You deserve so much better," she told me. I'd smiled weakly and hugged her back, letting her know that I was grateful for her being there for me.

"I'm not so sure about that. It's not like any of you guys noticed I was miserable so it can't have been that bad," I said. Rachel shook her head and leaned in to kiss me on the cheek.

"I'd noticed. I just didn't think you'd appreciate me sticking my nose in. I knew you'd tell me when you were ready," she replied. I stared at her surprised. I really hadn't thought that anyone had noticed seeing as no one had said anything, but maybe my friends were more perceptive then I'd thought. It wasn't like I'd have been appreciative if they'd said anything. I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her tightly, muttering "thank you" into her shoulder. She hugged me back and I felt her smile, sparks of genuine happiness traveling from her chest to mine. Sometimes I was really glad to have her as my best friend. She pulled away and gave me a mock stern look.

"Now, tell me why Finn thought kissing you was a good way to get Blaine off your back?" she asked. I thought she'd drop it after that, that the information I'd given her would be enough but apparently not.

"Things have been a little tense between us recently. Santana only trains in the next room and I can feel when she used her powers," I explained with an awkward pause. Rachel gestured for me to go on and I sighed.

"I wind up feeling turned on. The pheromones she gives off...it's just meant that I've wound up almost jumping him on several occasions." There was laughter from the doorway and I craned my head over Rachel to see who was in the door. Santana leaned against the frame, now fully dressed, a familiar smirk on her lips.

"Is that really all it took? A few pheromones and then you two are doing the deed?" She asked and I shot to my feet, spluttering.

"That's not what I said!" Santana seemed to laugh even harder and she moved to sit next to Rachel.

"Relax Hummel, I heard what you said. I just knew something like this was coming one day," she said. I stared at her as if I had no clue what she was talking about because I didn't. This time anyway. There had never been anything between Finn and I that hadn't been in my head. I knew that Finn had been starting to experiment with other guys in college; he'd admitted it to me over the phone one evening when he'd needed someone to talk to. But it had never been like that. Santana just rolled her eyes and muttered something to herself. I was about to ask her what the hell she was going on about when Matt stopped in front of us.

"We're getting ready to leave guys," he told us and then he'd moved on. He really was a quiet guy. Santana and Rachel got up beside me and we followed after Matt, helping him pack up a few backpacks. Puck had apparently gone the night before and he'd taken the weapons with him. He'd been helping someone else at our new place and he'd wanted to make sure the weapons were stored safely. There was only a few bags to pack between everyone, Santana and Rachel hadn't been allowed to bring anything either so at least I wasn't the only one who wouldn't have their own clean clothes. A bag was put into my arms and we were finally on our way. It was as I stepped outside and caught sight of one of the office buildings in the distance. Would the three of us be allowed to go to work? If we couldn't then surely we wouldn't be able to call in sick either in case the Sylvester Group had tapped into their phone lines in the hope of finding us. I cursed quietly and dropped the bag to the floor and pulled the prepaid phone out of my pocket and held it up.

"I have to call into work. Now," I said. Ahead of us Finn and Suzy both stopped, frowning at me but I saw realization dawn on Rachel's face as I started to type in the familiar number of my director.

"We are going to be able to go to work, right?" She asked Finn.

"No. They might have someone follow you to find out where we are."

"But we won't be able to call in sick either. In case they're listening in"

"Well I thought- no, you're right. You won't be able to." Finn stopped speaking and I could see him shaking his head out of the corner of my eye.

"If we call in now on these prepaid cells then we can dump them here before we go. They probably know we're here by now anyway so it won't matter if we leave them," I said as I waited for the director to pick up. Rachel had stalked over to Finn and she was holding out her hand impatiently. Her career was important to her as mine was to me, she'd wrestle that phone off of him if she had to. I spoke to the director quickly, explained how there had been a family emergency and I'd have to be away for a couple of weeks. He wasn't impressed and said if I wasn't back after two weeks then my understudy would be replacing me permanently. I said that I understood and hung up. I hoped it wouldn't take much longer than that. Rachel seemed to have a similar conversation and I gave my phone to Santana. She worked in a PR agency but even she was told she couldn't take too much time off. Suzy looked slightly irritated and I wondered if it was because we were only allowed two weeks or if she felt we were taking too long. She was kind of a moody person. I ran my fingers through my hair as Santana took the other phone off Rachel and dropped them in front of her, crushing the cells with her heels. She looked like she was enjoying that task a little too much. I'd hate to see her when we finally had to deal with the Sylvester Group.

  
  


  
  


We started moving again and it turned out our new place was still in Brooklyn. I couldn't help but wonder if it was a little too close but I supposed it made sense. Why would we stay nearby if we knew they were hot on our tail? It still felt a little risky to me but I didn't say so. When I saw where we were staying though, I realized that maybe they'd had the right idea. Our new residence was just that, a residence. We were moving into a house on the other side of Brooklyn. It wasn't that fancy or large but it was clear there would be room for all of us and it would be less weird to see people entering and exiting a house then it did some abandoned building. Finn unlocked the door and as we stepped inside he called out for someone I hadn't seen in a very long time. "Vell? You here?" There was movement from another room and within seconds a tall woman with pale skin, sharp features and clearly dyed red hair had joined us. She rushed over to Finn and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Finny-bear! I'm glad you made it. We were starting to get worried," she said. This was Finn's cousin. I'd met her a few times before and I knew they were close but I'd never particularly gotten along with her and it kind of rankled that she'd known where Finn was before I had. Or at least, that was what I assumed. And it kind of rankled that he trusted her more than he did me, I was his family too. Vell pulled away smiling brightly at him as she took in the rest of us. She treated Suzy and Matt with just as much fervor and Santana got a pretty friendly greeting. When she got to me however, her smile looked a little forced but that could be down to the fact I was glaring at her.

"Kurt, it's good to see you. I didn't know Finn had picked you up," she commented. I shrugged but didn't answer out loud. It wasn't like I'd understand his reasoning or be able to explain it. She sighed and turned to Rachel, her smile turning almost shy.

"Hey Rachel, I was just about to do some baking. I can do you some vegan brownies if you like?" she offered. They fell into conversation after that, Rachel laughing a little more then she had in a while and seeming relaxed. I was pleased for her, I was, but it did seem a little weird how easily they fell into sync. I knew they'd been friends whenever Vell had visited but...it had been a long time. I shook my head and decided to forget about it. People were starting to move about the house now, exploring the different rooms downstairs. I eyed the stair case carefully and wondered how many bedrooms there were up there. Was I going to have to share and if so, who with?

 

"What do you think of the place?" Finn's voice asked near my ear causing me to jump. I whirled around to glare at him and was about to lay into him about not sneaking up on people like that when he held up his hands in surrender.

"I'm sorry. For whatever I did. I'm sorry," he said and I almost snorted. Oh, it was going to take more than an ‘I'm sorry’ to make up for what he'd put me through in the last twenty four hours.

"You're sorry are you? How about we take this somewhere more private and I'll tell you exactly why you should be sorry," I drawled, crossing my arms in front of my chest. Finn obviously didn't know what to say in response to that so he simply nodded and nodded at the staircase.

"How about we explore the bedrooms and you can shout at me up there," he responded. In answer I turned my back on him and started up the steps. He followed behind me and I stopped to the side of the corridor to let him up beside me as I looked around. It wasn't that a wide corridor but I could see about four doors and there was a trap door in the ceiling that I assumed led to an attic.

"Puck said something about three of the rooms being bedrooms. He offered to share with me and Matt if you want to join us,” Finn commented as I started to open the doors. The first one I opened contained three beds with a few men’s shirts thrown about the place. I wrinkled my nose. I think I could safely assume that this was the room Puck was talking about.

“No thanks,” I said as I carried on. The next room also had three beds but the clothing in the room was neatly hung on a rail and separated into two sections. It looked like two women were staying in this room. One was obviously Vell but I hadn’t seen anyone else. I wondered who else it could possibly be. Would we know her as well I wondered. I closed the door behind me and found the third room empty except for three beds. This would do for Rachel, Santana, and me. It would also do for the private conversation I needed to have with Finn. I gestured for him to come inside and shut the door behind him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I demanded as soon as the door clicked closed. I stomped forwards away from Finn and didn't bother turning around to see if he was following me. "Seriously?! Who kisses someone just because they know their fiancé is headed upstairs? You've ruined my relationship with him and now I don't know when I'll even see him again!" I was ranting, I knew it but right now I didn't care. The mental walls I'd built earlier so I could just get on with things had dissolved and I felt the anger boiling over. Anger felt like it was running through my being and I knew if I touched Finn now I would hurt him. I don't know how, that had never happened before but I just knew. I clenched my hands together for a moment before I crossed my arms over my chest tightly, squeezing my eyes shut for a second before I opened them again to glare at the wall.

"I couldn't let you keep doing that to yourself. You've wanted out of that relationship for years and you weren't going to get out of that relationship on your own," he insisted. I snorted and shook my head; this whole damn thing was ridiculous.

"I told you that it wasn't that simple, Finn. If you'd have just listened," I huffed and forced myself to turn around and face him. "I couldn't just leave. Don't ask me why but leaving him felt like it would be a betrayal. He wouldn't have let me and I honestly felt like that was what I deserved. I've hated myself for years and no one tried to change a thing. It was going to take me time to be able to get away but you just...ruined that. And now I don't know whether to be relieved or pissed." I had to stop to take a breath before I could even think about carrying on.

"And did you even think what kissing me would do? I kissed you back and I thought you really wanted something from me but instead you were just trying to hurt me..." I broke off and uncrossed my arms, bringing my hands up to rub at my face. I had been wrong to let this all out now. I was still angry but I was also hurt and I didn't know if I could handle this right now. If I could handle Finn saying that he was sorry but hadn't thought.

 

"Kurt...I did want to kiss you. Yes, I also wanted Blaine to see but...it meant something." Finn stopped speaking as my heart started to beat harder. Anger started to transform into something else but I couldn't allow it to. Not right now. I clenched my fists tighter, my nails digging into my palms as I bit back the words I wanted to say.  _If you wanted to kiss me then prove it_ . 

"That doesn't matter. You can't just do this to me, Finn!" I stepped closer to him, so close that there was only a breath of space between us. "It has been years since I've really seen you and now you turn around and start saying things like...like that. You can't just start pretending you're interested just because it works for you all of a sudden," I snapped. I reached up and ran my fingers through my hair in frustration.

"It's not like that, Kurt. I've been feeling this way for years but it's not a good time," he said. I snorted.

"Really? I could have told you that but it didn't stop you from kissing me," I argued. "If you really meant it then you should have waited. You should have let us catch up and when things were finally good you could have moved in but no-" My rant was cut off by Finn's lips pressing against mine. I shoved him off, fury coursing through my veins again but he grabbed my hands in his.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know how else to shut you up." As I started to sputter he kissed me again and I tried to knee him in the crotch but he pulled away quickly.

"Sorry! Just don't be mad at me," he pleaded. I rolled my eyes and I wanted to argue some more but I kept quiet this time.

"I do like you, I do. And I have done for years. I know it’s weird seeing as how long it's been but I've not stopped thinking about you. I'm not expecting you to jump into bed with me or something, not when I don’t know what I really want. But if I can do something to make you happy in the long run then I will do it. Even if it makes you hate me for now,” Finn took a deep breath and paused before he released my hands. He stepped back and waited for my reaction. I wasn’t sure I could give him one though. I was completely torn. I wanted to be happy and I kind of was, my first love was turning around and telling me that hey, when things settle down then maybe something could happen between us. But he’d gone about it in the completely wrong way and had chosen the completely wrong time to make a move. Especially considering this morning I’d walked in to see Rachel in his bed even if nothing had happened. It was so frustrating. I didn’t know what to do so instead I did the one thing I knew I shouldn’t. I kissed him.

 

As our lips crashed together Finn’s hands immediately dropped to my hips. He pulled me closer as my tongue pressed at his lips and asked for entrance. Finn let me in, deepening the kiss as he did so. He started to walk me back towards the bed, his lips traveling down my neck as he nipped and pecked at the skin. My hands slid under his shirt, fingers exploring the muscles hidden beneath the soft cotton. He’d gotten fitter over the years. We pulled away only to pull our shirts off and I automatically moved in to start kissing at his chest. I slipped to my knees as I trailed kisses down his chest, stopping just about his jeans with a small smile. By this point part of my head was still telling me this was a bad idea and that we should stop but I shut the voice up and started to unbutton his jeans. I slid the material down his legs along with his boxers. His cock was thick and slightly on the large side but with the size of the rest of him, that made sense. I took him into my mouth, my hand wrapping around the base as I made my way down the length slowly, alternating between humming and sucking until Finn was groaning above me. His fingers curled in my hair and when he started to tug, I pulled away, smirking up at him slightly. He pulled me up only to push me down onto the bed moments later. He pulled my jeans  and underwear off only for seconds later to realize something. He rushed off, disappearing through the wall only to return seconds later before I could complain a small bottle of lube and a condom in his hand.

“You don’t want to know,” he said before I could ask where they came from. He joined me on the bed as I shifted myself further up, pulling him in for another kiss as I felt him shift about above me. Fingers pressed into me and I arched into his touch as he stretched me. I got over the discomfort quickly and soon Finn was thrusting inside of me. Slow at first but as I wrapped my arms around him and clawed at his back he sped up, moving every now and then to alter his angle until I was biting back my screams. I brought my arm to my mouth, biting at my wrist whenever I wanted to cry out. I didn’t want anyone to hear us. Eventually I felt that familiar tightening in my balls before I climaxed, Finn following soon after me. He pulled out of me, pulling the condom off and tying it before throwing it into the waste paper basket by the door. I’d get rid of it before the girls came up to join us. For now though Finn flopped back down beside me onto what I now realized was an unmade bed. I knew we should get back up and separate, that if I fell asleep I would regret this later on. But Finn was so warm and I was still so tired and before I could even blink I was asleep.

 


	10. Chapter Ten

 

I awoke to the sound of feet bounding up the stairs.

"Finn, Kurt, dinner's ready!" Vell's voice called out as she banged at the door furthest along the hall. I groaned and tried to roll onto my side but something very heavy seemed to be lying on my leg preventing me. I wriggled my leg experimentally and felt another person's leg brush against my own with a breathy laugh. I opened my eyes slowly, unsure whether I wanted to be aware of what was going on around me or not. Finn's grinning face appeared in my line of vision and I bit back a groan as our earlier actions came back to me. God dammit, why had I given into those desires? I'd known I'd regret it but I'd still had sex with him. I huffed slightly and slumped back against the mattress only to jump seconds later as Vell started to pound on my door.

"Guys, I know you're in here. Get some clothes on and get downstairs," she called out. I felt myself blush which just caused Finn to laugh again. I made sure to elbow him as I sat up and tried to get out of bed. Which wasn't actually all that easy when you had another grown man trying to link your legs together by the way. Eventually I managed to move far enough away from the bed to get my shirt on and when I turned back around Finn had already disappeared. But even as I cursed him under my breath I knew I was smiling. He was annoying as hell sometimes but at least he was mine. Thoughts of our earlier activities started to slip to the forefront of my mind and I shook them away as I opened the bedroom door, making sure to hide my lower half behind the door.

"Did you just say dinner was ready?" I asked as I blinked tiredly, taking in the sight of Vell making her way back to the top of the stairs. She paused, turning around to look me over briefly. I didn't know what I looked like right now, I hadn't bothered looking in the mirror for once but I was hoping the rumpled look could just pass for bed head and not sex hair. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm not sure there was much of a difference. I shuffled a little further back behind the door just in case. Vell narrowed her eyes at me but I just blinked innocently. Her tricks wouldn't work on me.

"Yeah, is Finn with you?" she asked, I shook my head but from the way she rolled her eyes, I knew she didn't believe me.

"Right, well if you see him, tell him we're eating now." she said as the door closest to her started to open and Finn stuck his head out.

"Did someone say my name?" I couldn't help but roll my eyes with Vell at that. His slow timing really didn't help with the whole pretending nothing had happened between us thing. Not that I was certain Finn wanted that but it was for the best. We had to work together as well as with everyone else. Admitting we'd slept together could just make things more awkward and we really didn't need that. We were going to have to talk about what had happened though, I knew that, but that didn't mean it had to be immediate. I needed time to get my thoughts together and I doubted either of us was in a rush to get into anything anyway. It was like Finn had said, the timing was all wrong.

 

As Vell and Finn started to converse I returned into my room and shut the door. My pants and underwear had been thrown into a corner. I could barely remember how and when they'd come off, just what had happened afterward. I sighed as I dropped back down onto the bed. I guessed I'd be sleeping here again tonight. Only this time I would be alone. I squeezed my eyes shut for a second; allowing myself a few more seconds to remember how wonderful it had been to have Finn inside of me before I pushed the thoughts away and the feelings back down. I pulled my underwear and jeans back on before I moved back to the door, pausing by the bin to fish out the condom so I could flush it down the toilet, leaving no trace of our activities in the room for the evening.

 

 

Downstairs in one of the rooms I hadn't been into yet a large dining table had been set up. Everyone else was already settled down, serving themselves from the plates that sat in the center of the table. The only spare seat was between Rachel and Santana and I was happy to take it. Across from me sat a black haired young woman who did look familiar but I couldn't put my finger on her name. I must have been staring because she paused in her conversation with Puck and turned her bright smile on me.

"It's Kurt, right? It's been such a long time," she greeted. I recognized that voice and it hit me where I knew her from. It was the Gerber baby herself.

"Harmony, I'd have thought it would have hit the news if something had happened to you," I replied. She pulled a face and shook her head,

"I was probably mentioned in the local news. But I was too out of it to be aware of what was going on in the media." I sympathized with her there, I was on Broadway now but I doubted that it would have been big news if I'd disappeared without a trace. My eyes skirted the rest of the table but there was no one else I was unfamiliar with. It was kind of strange really, the Sylvester group could have picked anyone from all over Ohio but they seemed to pick people who were all tied together in some way. I couldn't help but wonder if it was intentional or not. I'd figure that out later though. I didn't doubt we'd be having a serious conversation at some point tonight.

 

"Where have you been?" Rachel asked as I turned towards her. She paused with her fork close to her mouth as I finally started to put food onto my plate. There were a lot of options but I decided to stick with the sweet potato fries and corn right now. I wasn't actually all that hungry but I expected that was down to the fact I'd been feeling stressed for almost forty eight hours now and I still had a whole two weeks of being stuck here with everyone. Oh joy of joys.

"I was tired so I went up to have a nap," I answered as I popped a fry in my mouth. She frowned a little,

"I thought I saw you go up there with Finn?" Ah, crap, I really should have thought of that. I was supposed to be smart.

"I did. We had to have a private conversation. Then he left and I napped in our room," I told her, gesturing between myself, her and Santana who leaned in closer when she realized I was talking about her.

"What's going on?"

"There are only three beds in each room. I thought we could share," I explained. She looked thoughtful for a moment before she shrugged.

“If you’re sure you wouldn’t rather share with Finn.” I tried very hard not to blush at her comment and I’m pretty sure I succeeded.

“I’m sure,” I said and waited for the smirk to disappear from her lips, it didn't. I started to eat as Rachel started to ask why Santana had asked that. You’d have thought I’d have spoken up when my two friends started to debate my sex life or lack thereof but I really didn’t have it in me to care. Across the table I caught Finn’s eye and he mimed putting a gun to his head and shooting. I guessed he was getting a similar treatment from Puck who was sat next to him and Vell who was across from him.

 

 

After dinner we all cleared off the table and moved into the other room to sit and watch the news. I could hear Finn and Puck complaining about how they'd both rather watch something else but they knew as well as the rest of us that it was important. After the little stunt the Sylvester Group pulled last night and us moving today we had to make sure they weren't showing our faces on TV and branding us all as wanted criminals. I wondered how much trouble Vell would get in for harboring us but quickly brushed the thought away. She'd be fine, I was sure. I took a seat on the couch, pressed up against Rachel until Finn plopped down next to me and pulled me against him instead. I glared but I didn't really mind, leaning against him was a little more comfortable then it was with Rachel because he was taller than me. I dropped my head on his shoulder, trying not to think anything of it as I tucked my legs beneath myself. Rachel grumbled quietly about me taking up too much room but she didn't push my legs off, simply shifted a little further towards the other end of the couch. The news came on and it appeared as if we were in the clear. We were certain that if we were mentioned we'd be one of the first stories but as they started to talk about some charity event that was happening soon, we all found ourselves relaxing and beginning to chat.

 

We almost missed it when the news anchor paused as she received new information. Seconds later Finn and Puck's faces flashed on screen for a second before being replaced by a more recent picture of me and the girls. I could still remember when that was taken and for a moment it seemed to be all I could think about.

 

"Breaking news! Two men have escaped from a high security facility and are on the run. Finn Hudson and Noah Puckerman were being held in a high security prison outside of New York City. It's believed that they have taken former high school friends Kurt Hummel, Rachel Berry, and Santana Lopez hostage. They may also have other accomplices helping them. These men are armed and dangerous; do not approach them if you see them. If you think you've seen them or know anything then please call the help line on this number. Any assistance you give could help bring these three back alive. Thank you." The anchorwoman returned to reporting about more mundane things as the room fell silent. They were onto us; they even knew we'd been in contact with Puck. When had they seen him? He hadn't been running around like Finn.  Wait, shit, he'd only left the power house to move here. I felt myself start to panic and in turn that caused both Finn and Rachel beside me to panic. I tried to get my feelings  under control but it was hard when I was feeling so emotional. The panic seemed to seemed to seep through my very pores and into whatever touched me. I felt Finn shaking as pulled me closer and closer until I was practically on his lap. Rachel seemed to calm down for a second but I could see fear in her eyes. Finn wrapped his free arm around me and squeezed me tightly.

"Take deep breaths," he murmured into my ear as Vell got to her feet and stumbled over to the TV, switching it off. We were in danger, we were in real danger. If anyone even saw us through the window then we could bring the Sylvester Group down on us. We wouldn't even be able to step outside of the front door or we risked seeing people. We were trapped here. Finn squeezed me again and I brought my hands to my face, squeezing my eyes shut as I tried to get myself back in control. "We can't just stay here," Santana said. I dropped my hands onto my lap with a deep sigh. Finn leaned forwards, resting his forehead against the side of my head as if reassuring me that he was there.

"She's right. We have careers to think about," Rachel agreed, surprising everyone as she even stood up. Santana joined her, crossing her arms over her chest as if she was daring someone to argue against her.

"There's nothing we can do about that yet, we're not ready," Suzy argued, which we all should have expected.

"Your plans factor in the fact we all only have a few hours a day to train though, don't they," I pointed out. Suzy nodded, obviously not sure where I was going with this. You'd have thought she could read our plan from our minds. I watched as her brow furrowed more into a frown, oh, she really hadn't appreciated that.

"Well you don't have to worry about that anymore. We're all stuck here, if it means we get out quicker then we'll spend all our time training," I insisted. Suzy turned to Puck who appeared to be thinking things over but our hearts dropped when he shook his head.

"I still don't think it can be done in time. We have to be realistic here; it's going to take you guys’ time to master everything."

"Who says we have to master everything? As long as we can control our powers and can use a weapon, that's all we'll need," Santana argued and I nodded my head in agreement. My powers were enough of a weapon on their own and my reach was further then it had been a few weeks ago. Another week or two of practice and I was pretty sure I would be able to do some real damage. And if they taught me to use a gun or something as a backup plan it would be even better.

"It can't be done," Puck insisted but I was certain part of him was relenting. If I could just touch him then maybe I could make him think differently...

 

"Don't you dare," Suzy's voice barked and I jumped slightly. Finn's grasp on me tightened as she stormed over to us.

"The three of you don't understand. You can't just waltz in here and expect us to change our plans because you don't like them. It doesn't work that way," she snapped pointing at each of us in turn. When she turned on me something in her seemed to sharpen.

"Especially you! You might think you're special, Kurt Hummel, but you can't dance around and play with people's emotions to get your way. We taught you how to use your powers for good, for self-preservation, not for this." The more she spoke the quicker I found myself wanting to get out of Finn’s arms. But once I was on my feet, I realized how futile this argument was. Suzy had made up her mind and I wasn’t going to be able to change it. We just had to move past it somehow but not before I made one last point.

“I think we all need to have a conversation about what’s considered using our powers for good. Because I’m not sure what you helped Finn with last night would be considered good by everyone,” I said as I sat back down next to Finn. He reached for my hand but I moved it out of his reach. I was calm again, I didn't need him to touch me. That was good at least. I still couldn’t always predict when my abilities would stir but at least I could get myself back in control without medication now. Suzy pursed her lips and stared down at me for a second. I could see the conflict stirring in her eyes but she didn't say anything else. She just turned to Finn for a second and shook her head before she walked out. I didn't know if I'd gotten through to her or if I'd just made her mad but I was pleased I'd gotten some sort of reaction.

 

With Suzy gone the room lapsed into silence. No one else had any more arguments and we were too worried to try and give each other false hope. If things went badly then we'd be stuck in this house for the rest of our lives. The only way things were going to change was if we fought and we needed to attack soon if we wanted to surprise them. It was just going to be getting everyone else to agree with us. Eventually Matt excused himself and I assumed he was going to find Suzy. They were a strange couple but then again, he'd seemingly been with Santana in high school. Maybe he liked being bossed around by bitches. Or maybe I was just being unfair. Another hour passed in silence before Puck switched the TV back on and I excused myself to go to bed. Vell offered to go with me so she could show me where the bedding was. For once I didn't refuse her help. She led me upstairs and into the bathroom where she pointed out a small door to the side. It seemed an unusual place for an airing closet but I wasn't about to point that out, it would seem like pointless nit-picking. But if I was going to be stuck in this place for a long time then I was going to have to start decorating at some point and things like that had to be taken in account. I grabbed some bedding and Vell helped me carry it back into the bedroom. It didn't look like anyone else had come up here since I'd left before dinner. I wondered how long Santana and Rachel would be downstairs. I was torn between wanting to fill the silence with conversation and wanting to be left alone.

 

"So what was it that Suzy helped my cousin do?" Vell asked as she pulled a bottom sheet from my arms and started to fit it on the bed. I reached out to help her but she shook her head and nodded towards the comforter. I opened the buttons and started to feed the duvet into the cover.

"Not much if I'm honest. I hadn't even known she was there. But she let Finn know that Blaine was coming up which allowed Finn to do something bad," I responded. Vell didn't look as if she knew what to make of that and I realized she was going to want more information even if I didn't particularly want to share it.

"He kissed me so Blaine would see. He was trying to get us to break up," I explained. Once the words were out, Vell didn't seem surprised, in fact, she almost looked amused. I set my lips in a scowl and decided to just go back to ignoring her. It wasn't like I really needed conversation or anyone to help me make my bed. I pushed past her gently, placing the comforter down and moving onto the pillows that I had dropped to the floor earlier.

"Oh come on, Kurt. Don't be like that. I'd bet that Suzy hadn't known what she was helping him do," Vell tried but I continued to scowl. I didn't want to admit that she probably had a point. She must have had a clue, she was a mind reader. I knew that Finn could be spontaneous sometimes but I highly doubted that he'd just thought why not before he planted one on me.

 

"We've all been with her a long time. We've learned how to block our thoughts from her," Vell carried on, ignoring the fact I now had my back to her. Why couldn't she just go away?

"Kurt, you have to listen to me. You're just making things more difficult," she chided after a few more moments. Those words made me turn back to her, glaring daggers. I wasn't being difficult; it was everyone else who was causing problems. For once I'd made no plans, I was just being led along and I was being expected to stay silent even when things were going wrong? I wasn't going to do that, I was entitled to my own opinion as were Rachel and Santana.

"I'm not saying you have to stay quiet all the time but listen to me now. Suzy would have had to tell Finn that someone was coming up, what if Blaine had seen Finn and had then reported him? She wasn't trying to mess your life up or whatever you think she was doing," she explained and I had to sigh as the information sunk in. I understood what she was saying and if it was possible for Finn to block her, why wouldn't he have? I expect she'd have declared Finn kissing me a giant waste of our time even if she was in a relationship herself. When I finally accepted that, I did start to feel guilty. I hadn't needed to tell her off, I might not always like her but she'd always been about doing what was best for us all. I knew I should probably apologize. I muttered a quick goodbye to Vell and hurried down the corridor. I wasn't sure where Suzy would have gone, I didn't know her well enough but my first stop would be her room followed by Matt's. I hadn't heard anyone else come up so if there was any response then I'd know she was in there, even if she didn't want to answer. I stopped in front of Suzy's bedroom door and knocked gently. I half expected her not to be there but after a few moments I heard someone moving inside.

"Come in." That was Matt. I pushed the door open to see Matt sat on the bed closest to the wall, his back pressed against it with Suzy in his lap. Her legs were curled up underneath her and she rested her head on his chest. When she saw me she wiped at her eyes and moved to stand.

"I don't want another fight, Kurt. So whatever you've got to say can wait," she said. Even her voice sounded like she had been crying and I felt even worse. I knew I could be a bitch sometimes but I didn't like to think I was a cruel person and right now it really seemed like I was.

"I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry. I didn't think earlier, I was just mad," I apologized. I bit my bottom lip as I started to play with the sleeves of my long-sleeved shirt, looking for a loose thread or something I could complain about.

"And how is that supposed to make things better? We're all pretty frustrated right now but no one is trying to take it out on you," she pointed out. I felt like telling her that half the time it felt like she was angry at me but I didn't. I said I hadn't come here for a fight and at least it meant that she was calming down.

"I didn't say it was supposed to. I just wanted to apologize. I realize you just want what's best for everyone," I said, keeping my own voice steady. I wasn't going to get angry, I'd dealt with much worse than her before. Suzy looked ready to argue some more but instead she sat back down on bed next to Matt's legs.

"Good. Then you should know that the first time I knew Finn had done something to upset you was this morning," she told me. But that would mean that she hadn't read my thoughts at all because I could already assume that Finn had gotten really good at hiding his. I nodded my understanding and Suzy actually cracked a smile.

"I can make him feel bad about if you like," she offered and I found my lips turning up in response.

"No, it's fine. We've sorted things out...sort of," I replied.

"Couldn't you guys have waited until after all this was over for the romantic drama?" she asked, clearly not expecting an answer as she carried on. "But I won't say anything about it. I don't want to be your enemy, Kurt." Hearing that was a relief, I don't know why, it wasn't like I'd actually thought of her as my enemy. But it was one of those things that it was reassuring to hear spoken aloud.

"If I'm honest, I actually admire you. You're so strong and you go after what you want. You never seem to give up, even if the journey is difficult. I've never been able to do that, I always seem to fuck things up for myself," she explained. Matt got up from the bed and quickly left the room. I guess he thought we'd want some privacy for this sort of conversation but if I was honest, I didn't really care.

"I've made my fair share of mistakes too, Suzy. But I guess judging you so harshly was one of them," I said. Suzy patted the spot on the bed Matt had just vacated. I didn't take the seat; I just felt more comfortable standing for some reason. Probably because I was closer to the door in case anything went wrong. I'd gotten good at running from people if they got angry at me, but I guessed anyone who was bullied in high school had. Suzy must have read that in my mind as her face softened even more.

"No more fighting between us, okay? You all had a point. Maybe it is about time we did something.” With that said I knew it was time for me to leave. I didn’t want to push Suzy anymore, especially not now I realized that maybe she wasn’t so bad. I wouldn’t be considering her my friend anytime soon but I was willing to work with her. I knew she wasn’t going to just turn on me or the others anytime soon and that was good enough for now.

 


	11. Chapter Eleven

 

The next morning as everyone gathered in the kitchen for breakfast Suzy climbed onto the kitchen counter and started to hit two pans together. I was pretty sure all the noise wasn’t necessary since we could all see her but at the sound we all fell silent.

“I want everyone downstairs after breakfast. I have an important announcement,” she declared. I hadn’t been downstairs yet so I was torn between being curious about what was down there and what she wanted everyone together for. As a group we still seemed somewhat downtrodden though a few of us had perked up overnight. Rachel hadn't left Vell's side apart from to sleep and that had left them both in rather good moods. Even now Rachel was leaning next to her on the counter as Vell made them both pancakes using vegan substitutes for the eggs. It was nice to see Rachel seem so happy and she didn't even seem that bothered by the fact Finn wasn't by her side. After everything she'd been through to find out whether he was alive or not, I found that kind of strange but I guessed we were all getting used to our new lives. As Suzy climbed down with Matt's help, I turned back to my cereal to see that Finn had slipped next to me. There was something about him that seemed wary of me but he still wanted to be close to me. I didn't know whether it was to comfort himself or to try and prove that he was still on my side.

"How are you feeling today?" he asked. I looked up at him slowly, trying to read the meaning in his question. But nothing was obvious straight away. I sighed and relaxed back against the counter, moving my body slightly closer to his.

"Better. I made up with Suzy," I answered, watching the relief bloom on his face as he shifted closer to me. His hand brushed mine for a second and I didn't pull away.

"I'm still slightly mad at you though," I added and tried not to be pleased by the way his face fell. His hand started to move away and I reached out to grab it, squeezing gently.

"But not completely. I think we need to talk about what happened last night," I told him. Finn nodded but he still looked slightly worried.

"I didn't think you'd still be mad at me," he murmured, averting his gaze from mine for a second. When he looked back at me, I could see the wounded puppy look in his eyes. I wasn't going to let him make me feel bad about this. He'd chosen to kiss me and he'd let himself fall into bed with me. He had to face up to it as much as I had to.

"You can't just expect me to get over the fact you broke up me and Blaine on purpose," I pointed out, looking into his eyes so he would know I meant every word I was saying. "The fact I didn't love him didn't matter. It was the fact you were only back in my life a few weeks and suddenly you thought you had the right to take control. That wasn't okay, Finn." That was as clear as I could make my feelings. Finn opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before he finally spoke.

"I understand. But I was just trying to help you," he insisted. I shook my head and turned my head away from him for a moment so he wouldn't be able to see my disappointment. I'd really hoped he'd understand.

"Kurt," Finn said, reaching out to grip my chin before he turned my head back around to face him properly.

"I'm sorry, okay? But I don't regret kissing you or what happened last night," he said, sighing slightly. He pulled me in for a hug and squeezed me gently, his fingers pressing into my lower back, massaging gently as if he was trying to relax me. But he couldn't just touch me and hope that he pressed my buttons and that I'd melt into his hands enough so I wouldn't say anything. As soon as our eyes met, I knew he saw that and he withdrew,

"Okay, not the best idea," he admitted, holding up his hands in surrender. I smiled at him for that and returned to my breakfast.

"Seriously though, we do still have to talk. There's some things I want to explain to you," Finn added on, leaning across the counter next to me to grab some bread for the toaster.

"We do. How about once we're done with whatever Suzy has to show us?" I proposed. Finn agreed and we both fell silent as we both focused on our breakfasts.

 

 

We all made our way downstairs talking quietly between ourselves as we tried to guess what Suzy wanted to say. Santana made the most unpleasant suggestions and I tried not to laugh at them, I really did. But I guess that provided I didn't think I meant them or repeated them to Suzy, it was okay. And when we reached the bottom of the basement, I was kind of glad I hadn't thought much about Santana's jokes. Suzy stood in the middle of the room with a gun in her hand. It was only a handgun but it was still a gun and if there were any bullets in it, then she could do some real damage. There were other guns all around the room, stored carefully on shelves with the bullets and shots in separate containers next to them. There were also other weapons hung up on the walls such as knives which could actually be used mixed with other weapons that I had to assume were only decorative such as shurikens and sai swords. Well, for most people at least. I had experimented with using sais in college, it looked good on my resume if I said I was trained to use a weapon as well...theatrical as these weapons could be. But I was pretty sure that if we were going to be breaking into such an important building then we were going to be better off with guns then knives. On the left side of the room the wall was empty apart from a few targets spread out evenly. I looked to the floor to see lines had been painted in between them with a horizontal line painted a distance away going through the vertical lines. I guessed that was where we were supposed to stand. I counted the targets and there were four which meant there was one each plus an extra for a tutor or whoever else wanted to practice. I knew we wouldn't be the only ones who wanted to get some shooting practice in before the attack.

 

Suzy clapped her hands together and the entire group fell silent and turned to her. If I hadn't realized it before then I was certain now that everyone was as shocked as I was. Suzy looked at us all slowly for a few moments before she seemed satisfied.

"After everything that happened last night I've realized that maybe you were right," she started, focusing on Santana, Rachel and me.

"We can't just hide away like this. The longer we take to get things sorted, the harder it's going to be for us to integrate back into society because they will keep on attacking us publicly." We all thought about the news report last night and I dreaded to think what they might do next. They might be painting me as a victim now but if I kept resisting...what would they say? What would they tell my parents? They had no problem with pretending people were dead and I didn't want my Dad to think he'd lost me like that and Carole couldn't lose another child. Determination sunk in and I reached out. Rachel stood a little in front of me, she was shaking ever so slightly but I knew she wanted to do this too. I grabbed her hand and squeezed gently, letting how I felt seep through to her so she understood. When she squeezed my hand back I knew she would be okay. I let go of her hand and tuned back in to Suzy. She was talking mostly to Puck now about our training. He seemed slightly unsure about getting everything done in time but he was down for the challenge. When Suzy turned back to us, her lips pressed into a grim line, I knew we had a lot of work ahead of us.

"If we're going to get ready in time then you're not going to get much chance to rest. We have two weeks from today before we attack. So work hard," she declared but her eyes skirted back to Finn as if she was checking in with him. When Finn smiled warmly at her she seemed to perk up.

"Get to work everyone. Puck, you're staying here to train the newbies. The rest of you back upstairs to start planning," she instructed. I felt Finn's hand drop on my shoulder and squeeze before he moved back upstairs. I looked over my shoulder to smile at him as he mouthed 'see you later' to me. When I turned back around Puck had made his way over to the guns and was holding one out to Santana. She took it off of him and grabbed the ammo before he could hand it to her, loading the gun knowledgeably.

"Let's do this," she said with a small smirk. It wasn't all that surprising that Santana already had experience with a gun. I didn't know when she'd had the chance to learn but I wouldn't be that shocked if she was good with it. She stalked over to the painted lines and Puck called me forwards. He handed me a gun and the cool metal was slightly heavier then I expected. I balanced it between my hands, trying to get a feel for it as Puck handed me the bullets.

"Okay this one can hold ten rounds. You put them in this way," Puck instructed as he took the gun off of me and showed me how to remove the bottom and load the bullets. He handed the gun back to me and I loaded the rest quickly as Puck looked on. When he was happy, he sent me across to Santana as he explained the same things to Rachel. Santana gestured me over before she moved, widening the gap between her legs before she crouched ever so slightly and fired. I studied her hands on the gun, one hand gripped the back of the gun tightly as the other hand came around the front to hold it tighter. As she squeezed the trigger, her arms seemed to jolt back slightly but she still looked in control. She looked pretty cool if I was honest. She nodded at the target and I saw she'd actually hit a bulls-eye. Puck whistled as he came to stand next to her.

"Looking good, Lopez. Think you can help me out?" he asked as he nodded to me. Santana flipped her hair, actually flipped her hair and turned back to Puck with a pleased smirk.

"I'd be happy to," she told him before she turned back to me. I moved onto the line next to her as Puck led Rachel to the furthest target.

"Okay Kurt, let's see how good you are at this," she said.

 

The lesson was more difficult then I expected. Shooting was a lot harder then it looked in the movies.

"Dominant hand around the back. Keep it high as that'll help with recoil," she instructed as she guided my right hand on the gun correctly. I brought my other hand around to wrap it around the rest of the gun, my fingers hovering around the trigger.

"Good, keep your fingers off of the trigger unless you're shooting," she approved. She moved behind me, nudging my legs further apart with one of her knees. I bent my knees slightly as she had and I saw Santana nod her approval.

“You see those ridges at the top of the gun? Those are your sights. Make sure they're lined up and your focused on them, then fire.” I didn't know exactly what she meant by that but I held the gun up so the ridges were both straight and looked to be around the bulls-eye in the distance. Then I squeezed the trigger tightly. I felt resistance but before I could pull my finger away, the gun fired and sent tremors through me. I stumbled back slightly but managed to keep hold of the gun just about. The bullet had hit closer to the edge of the target then the bulls-eye. Who knew firing a gun could be so difficult.

 

 

It was dark outside before we were finally allowed back upstairs. We had taken a short break for lunch but sandwiches had been brought down to us. Suzy wanted us to get the hang of using a gun as quickly as possible. By the end of the day I was a little better then when I'd first started but part of that was down to Puck correcting Santana's teaching. She hadn't been happy about that and I'd heard her muttering something about him in Spanish as she'd shot at the target again later. It was a good reminder to not piss her off anytime soon as I didn't think I'd be able to take her on. I wasn't hitting the target so badly anymore and I wasn't stumbling back but it took time to get used to aiming and then dealing with the recoil. I don't know why they never mention that in the movies, I guess it was because it made shooting a gun sound less cool.

 

I stretched as I left the basement and rejoined the others in the hallway. I could hear people talking in the kitchen so I headed in there, feeling like I should probably help with dinner. Vell was in there cooking with Finn. But I wouldn't say he was helping, no, he was just tasting the food.

"Want anymore help?" I called out as I made my way over to the fridge. Rachel followed into the kitchen after me, beaming at us all as she made her way over to the stove.

"I think you'll find us both proficient cooks," she added. Vell looked at Finn for a moment before she turned and grinned at us.

"The more the merrier, maybe we'll get dinner done quicker." I snorted as I moved back to the fridge to grab some vegetables from the crisper.

"Doubtful with Finn here. He'll probably eat all our first attempts," I quipped. Finn protested as everyone else started to laugh. Once everything was either ready or in the oven, Vell shooed the rest of us away until everything was served up.

"You reckon we have time to talk now?" Finn asked as we walked side by side back into the hall. I looked though an open door to see a few people hanging out in the main room which meant everyone else was probably upstairs. I could see Rachel and Santana though so at least we could have some privacy in my room. I nodded and moved to head upstairs.

 

"Oh Finn! Just the person I wanted to see," Suzy's voice sounded out of nowhere. Which apparently was the basement I realized as she stuck her head around the door.

"We're down here comparing the training results. Can you spare a minute?" Of course Finn could hardly say no, being the unofficial leader and all. Or was he the leader's lackey with Suzy taking charge? Either way he sighed and crossed towards to the basement.

"Sure. But I will need a minute with Kurt later."

 

We never did get the chance to have that conversation that day.

 

 

The next two weeks pretty much went the same way. We spent our days training ourselves in gun fighting as well as our previous self defense training. We didn't get much chance to practice controlling our abilities but I was pretty sure we all had them in check now. The guns were awkward to use for a few days but by the end of the week I could shoot something fairly accurately from across the room. I wasn't an amazing shot but I was good enough that I could defend myself without getting in everyone else's way. I also took to practicing with the sai swords. Puck had told me they weren't practical but I convinced him I could use them well enough.

"If you really think they're practical then let's put them to the test," he said to me.

 

He'd handed me the sais and had grabbed a knife before he'd come at me with the weapon. He lunged at me straight away and I side stepped him, dancing across the floor and leading Puck towards a corner. His face seemed to light up with this nasty little smirk as he thought he cornered me but with one quick move I slipped behind him and waited for Puck to move. He slashed at me and my hands jerked forwards, turning the sai swords so that the metal got caught between the prongs. Puck seemed surprised for a second but that was all I needed. I turned my wrist quickly, forcing the blade to twist in Puck's hand and pulling it to the floor. I leaped forwards, kicking the knife out of his hands before I bent down to pick it up. I would have twirled the knife if I wasn't worried about catching myself so I settled for twirling one of my sais instead.

"They might not be that practical but if I lose my gun then they could help me defend myself," I explained. Puck still seemed torn but he agreed that I could take them. I took them up to my room with me that night in case Puck decided to hide them as they still weren't considered practical.

 

In the evenings Finn and I kept trying to get together to talk but someone would always come and call one of us away. It was frustrating to say the least but it was something we had to deal with. I knew we'd get the chance eventually, I just hoped that it would be before we had to go out and fight for our lives.

  
  


  
  


On our last night in the house we were all asked to make our way into the main room after dinner. We all knew what was coming and we were all tense. It was time to hear what the plan was. It was time to see if all our efforts were worthwhile. I took a seat next to Rachel and Santana as Finn sat on the floor at my feet. He rested his head back against his knees and he leaned back to smile at me.

"Can we talk after this? It might be the last chance we get," he asked. I wasn't sure if he meant the last time we'd speak before the attack or whether he was worried this was the last time we got to speak ever, I chose to ignore the second possibility.

"Sure," I agreed. Finn turned back to the front as Suzy entered the room but he wasn't there for long. Suzy came over and asked him to stand up and join her. He wasn't going to say no to that.

"What we're about to embark on is going to be dangerous. If we're honest, none of us know if we'll make it out alive let alone make a change but we have to try," Suzy started, taking a deep breath as she looked around at us all.

"But you've all said you wanted to try and you're right. Waiting would be the same as giving into them and we can't," she paused, turning to Finn with a small smile on her lips.

"Finn made us all realize that when he ran away to save you guys. We're worth more then being the Sylvester Group's guinea pigs." It was a more inspirational speech then we were used to from Suzy but we all had to admit that she looked somewhat uncomfortable.

"Now I'm going to leave the actual details down to Finn. He's better at this then I am," she admitted as she stepped back. Finn stepped into the spot where Suzy had stood before but he stayed silent. His eyes raked over us all slowly before he finally spoke up.

"Suzy's right, this is going to be dangerous. But we have to do it and this is how." He started to go into details about the headquarters situated in the city. It was why there had been so many agents around available to try and capture us and put us on TV. No one was kept there, they preferred to train their future agents in compounds further out in the country. It would hopefully be enough though, if we could get rid of the heads of the company then we could take over and release information on what was really happening. We just hoped that it would be enough to get the other human guinea pigs released. We were going to take the subway into Manhattan late at night and then hide until we were certain no one would be hanging around the building. Finn and Matt had gone to check things out before and they'd discovered everyone important stayed late, often staying in rooms they provided for staff. We didn't know who would be there and for how long but it was the best we were going to get. Finn and Matt would get us into the building without setting off of the alarms and then we'd have to make our way through each floor. No one was to be allowed to escape but we had to avoid injuring anyone too badly. Not only would it look bad but we didn't know who everyone was and we didn't want to kill someone who we might later on need. We hopefully wouldn't have to fire our weapons but we were taking them just in case things went badly. Once we had all the evidence we needed then we'd have to get someone high up to call up the local news so they could announce how they were renouncing their research and explain to everyone what they'd done to us and others before us. After that we were done and hopefully we could return to our normal lives. After we all worked out a way to explain to the supposedly dead people's families that they were actually alive.

After all that I expected was Finn to try and rile us up some more, get us all excited for the battle like Braveheart would have. Instead he tried to send us all to bed. Well, except for me, he still wanted to talk to me. And for that he dragged us into the kitchen. Which seemed kind of odd considering what we were about to talk about. But I didn't even get the chance to comment on that, instead he pushed me gently against the counter and started to ramble.

“Before we get into this I just want to say that I don't know what I want. I just know I want you to be happy and if that's with me then that's really awesome. But if it's not that's great also, especially after all this. But I really enjoyed kissing you and fucking you and I'd love to get the chance to do that again but I don't know if we will.”

I held a hand up to tell him to be quiet but he just kept talking.

“Everything has just been so fucked up and I know this is a mess but once things are sorted we can see how things go. Until then I need you to watch me-”

I shut him up by kissing him. It wasn't usually my preferred method but it seemed to work for Finn. He kissed me back, his hands dropping to my hips as he tried to lift me up onto the counter. That was when I pulled away and rested my forehead against his.

“Breathe, Cowboy. Then think through what you're trying to say and try again,” I said to him. Finn went quiet and I pulled away slightly as I let him think.

“I just don't want you to get the wrong idea about what's happened between us since it's been so quick. I am interested in you but I don't know in what way. Is that okay?” He eventually asked. It was kind of cute that he didn't want to just leave me high and dry like some guys would have.

“It's fine. I only broke up with Blaine two weeks ago, I wasn't expecting anything anyway,” I replied. Finn nodded smiling slightly uncomfortably before he carried on.

“And also I don't know if you've noticed but...my anger issues have gotten worse. I don't know what I'm going to do out there and...it puts me more at risk. So I had to let you know that I care.” I had noticed his anger issues, I'd never forget seeing him beat up our attackers. I'd seen blood as he'd smashed the man's head against a wall. I'd even seen flashes of something dark when we'd argued before but I hadn't know what it was. I guess it made sense though. You weren't going to be locked away for years without it leaving scars. But I didn't think that it would make Finn at risk, if anything it just meant that he was more likely to kill someone by accident. But hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

“Then I guess you're going to have to be extra careful,” I told him. When Finn went to argue I pulled him in for another kiss. This time I let him lift me onto the counter but only after he'd unzipped my jeans.

 


	12. Chapter Twelve

We waited for another hour after darkness had fallen from an alley across the street. We watched as people slowly emptied out of their work places and made their way home or to restaurants and bars. Once the business streets had started to empty we sent Finn and Matt across the road. Finn slipped through the closed doors to find out what security was like and Matt...well...I wasn't sure what he did. I hadn't been told and we couldn't exactly see what was going on inside the building. Five minutes passed, then ten before Finn returned to us. He seemed pretty calm so we took that as good news.

"Security isn't too tight. They have two mind readers and I think one of the guys can turn invisible but I don't know for certain. No cameras as they use the mind readers to work out where everyone is," Finn announced. Suzy frowned and murmured under her breath before she nodded to herself and seemed satisfied.

"Okay. I just checked in with Matt and he's in position so lets go, Rachel, up front with me," She instructed. We all settled into two rows as we made our way across the street. Finn went invisible as we reached the doors so he could clear the way. As I stepped through I saw that the receptionist seemed to be floating in thin air as someone in the suit Matt had been wearing earlier smacked the woman around the head with a phone. It didn't look like Matt though, the man was smaller and Hispanic but when he spoke, he had Matt's voice. Seconds later the Hispanic man's skin started to melt and bubble and the person became Matt again. Well, I guess I now knew what Matt's power was. The rest of us fanned out across the reception and Matt rejoined us, slipping his hand under his shirt to pull out his gun.

"Finn's making sure the staircase is clear so does everyone know the plan?" Matt told us and we all nodded. We were all ready as we were ever going to be. So when Matt gestured towards the stairs, we all slipped our weapons out of their holsters and made our way up the stairs. I hoped to god that I'd never have to use the gun let alone the sais strapped to my legs.

 

 

We couldn't see anyone in the hallway of the first floor but that didn't mean anyone was around. We slipped forwards carefully, pausing to see if anyone was in the first room. It was mostly dark apart from a single lamp and two men sat inside on computers, their eyes glued to the screens. They didn't even notice when we knocked the door open slightly and it creaked. I held my breath waiting for someone to move but nothing happened. Just as we were about to move in, we heard footsteps on the stairs. I didn't think we'd be able to hear Finn...

"Security breach!" Was all I heard before a shot sounded, the bullet smashed into the wall, sending flecks of paint and plaster flying into my eyes. My arms shook as I lifted them to wipe at my eyes as a bullet exploded from one of the guns next to me. I blinked and watched as one of the guards fell to his knees, groaning as he grabbed at his left leg. I raised my gun and lined the guard up in my sights before I fired. The arm he was using to stem his bleeding was suddenly a lot less useful. He wouldn't be shooting at us again any time soon. The other guard fell next to him and Rachel hurried over.

"Did you warn the others about us?" she demanded, her voice resonating with power. Conflict seemed to wage across the soldier's face but whatever Rachel was doing, she wouldn't drop the man's gaze. After mere minutes, the man's eyes went blank and he finally answered.

"Yes."

"Do either of you two have abilities?"

"Yes."

"Which of you can do what?" The second soldier tried to kick out at his friend with his good leg but the man just kept talking. It wasn't like he had a choice after all.

"Morris is a mind reader. It's how we passed the warning on." Rachel averted her gaze for a second and the man seemed to return to himself. As what had just happened to him seemed to seep in, a disgusted look seemed to creep onto the man's face. But we didn't have time to worry about him. The men inside the room finally seemed to realize something wasn't right and one stuck his head out of the door. When he saw us all, he darted back into the room and Puck rolled his eyes.

"I'll deal with them, you all go on," he said. So we did. The next room appeared to be empty but the third room at the end of the corridor was much the same as the first one only with female members of staff. I couldn't help but wonder what had them so distracted they hadn't heard the gunshots and why had both rooms only had two members of the same sex in. I had to find out more.

"You guys go on, I'll deal with them," I told the others. They didn't even really react other then to nod before they moved on.

 

I stepped inside the room, not bothering to tryand mask the fact I was entering. One of the women looked up but her expression was almost blank. She barely seemed to notice me. I crossed the room and placed one hand on her shoulder, turning her chair around to face me. She still didn't react. I frowned, they weren't going to cause us any trouble so I knew I should just smash the computers and lock them in here so I could rejoin the others. But this just wasn't right. I knew it had to be something to do with the experiments. I bit my bottom lip for a second before I squeezed the woman's shoulder gently and let my senses reach out towards her. She felt peaceful, she wasn't even worrying about what she was going to have for dinner or whether she was going to get home late. Her mind was almost blank but she felt somehow happy. I sent a jolt of worry through her, wondering if my power couldbring her back into reality and it seemed to work for a second. Life flashed back into the woman's eyes again but it was gone again with seconds. I cursed quietly and tried again, increasing the strength of emotion as I sent it coursing through her. I felt it as the confusion and near panic seemed to settle onto her skin. The woman's head snapped forward with a gasp, her eyes flicking around the room wildly. She settled back into her seat as she realized where she was. Then her eyes returned to me. She reached out to grab at my arms, I felt her fingers squeeze and I tore away, bringing forward my right arm to hold up my gun.

"Don't even bother. What's going on here?" I warned. I hovered my finger above the trigger but I didn't dare put my finger down. I didn't want to accidentally shoot someone just because I was threatening them.

"I could ask you the same thing," she argued. She was right, she could, but I really didn't have time for that. I grabbed at her arms again, my free hand wrapping tightly around her wrists.

"Why didn't you notice when I came in here?" I demanded. The woman rolled her eyes but tried to turn back to her screen.

"It's a test. They wanted to see how far they could control those of us who have abilities," she explained, her voice almost blank as her expression had been before. I tightened my hold on the gun and nodded for her to go on,

"They've got us on these drugs. They put us on them before sitting us in here to take these stupid tests." That explained why no one had noticed anything. If they were anything like the drugs I'd been on before but the difference was that I hadn't been able to feel anything. Maybe these drugs were the next stage. It didn't explain the gender segregation but it was good enough for now. I turned my gun to the computer and fired before I turned the gun back on the woman.

"I'm locking you in here. If you stay silent and you don't tell anyone what happened here then you'll be fine until we leave," I told her before I left the room, locking the door behind me with the key someone had found and stuffed in the lock. I assumed it was probably Puck as I couldn't hear any movement in the other room. I made my way back upstairs to see where everyone else had gotten to.

 

 

The second floor was busier but everyone had already been gathered into one room by the time I got up there. I made my way over to Suzy but Finn intercepted me on the way.

"Did everything go okay?" He asked, his arms crossed across his chest. I frowned, if Finn wasn't invisible then something must be going on.

"I've already scouted up to the top floor. Everyone's where they should be. It should easy to make our way up," he explained before I could ask. If things seemed like they were going to be easy then why was he worried? Surely that was better for- oh. Security had already been alerted that we were here and yet we hadn't been attacked again? It was strange especially considering they had some important information in this building. Something wasn't right.

"Fuck," I cursed and Finn nodded his agreement. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair briefly before I got back to business.

"The people downstairs didn't respond as we went past them. It's because they've been drugged," I informed him.

"What with?"

"I don't know. Something similar to what I was on I think but stronger. They feel completely blank." Finn froze.

"What do you mean similar to what you were on? How were they blank?" He fired the questions at me quickly, reaching out to grab my shoulders. He squeezed my arms, I tried to pull away but he wouldn't let me go.

"They told me I was delusional so they put me on anti-psychotics. Well, I guess they weren't really anti-psychotics. But when I was on them I couldn't feel anything. My head just felt heavy and I couldn't do much," I answered, frowning at the memory. The men and women may have seemed empty but they'd at least been able to take those tests. I must have been an unwilling guinea pig of an earlier version of the drug. Shit, the thought made me sick. All those years I'd thought that I was imagining things and that I needed to feel nothing to be able to cope. When in reality they were trying to mask these amazing abilities and control me. I shook my head and pulled away from Finn, glaring at the staircase.

"We're bringing them down," I declared, something dark flashed across Finn's face as he nodded in agreement.

"They won't know what hit them," he agreed.

 

Once everyone was locked up, Finn called everyone else back together and I told everyone what I'd discovered. Puck backed up my theory from what he'd seen on the computer screens. It was the only thing that made sense.

"Do you think we need to rescue those four as well?" Rachel asked as she looked between Puck and me. I was torn, the woman I had encountered had been pretty volatile and I didn't think they were unwilling participants. At least, not when it came to the drugs, but I wasn't sure where they stood on the abilities front.

"I think we should but we have to snap the others out of it and warn them," I said. But from the way Suzy and Finn were looking at each other I could see that they weren't so sure.

"We met people like them back at the compound, Kurt. They're only in it for the money, they'd be happy to sell our descriptions back to the Sylvester Group," Finn tried to explain. I didn't want to hear it though. Thinking that way was ridiculous. They were just as much as victims as we were, they'd just turned to getting financial gain from the people who'd taken over their lives and I couldn't blame them for that. I wasn't too sure that it was a route that I'd take myself but I could understand what the appeal was.

"They're just trying to make the best out of a terrible situation," I said as I looked around us.

"Can everyone here honestly say that if they had the chance to be paid back for the pain they'd gone through, they wouldn't take it?" I asked. Only Finn and Suzy raised their hands but I could tell that Finn was relenting.

"Just think about it. I'm not saying we have to let them go but we should at least give them the chance." Something in Finn's expression wavered, I didn't even have to put on puppy dog eyes before he agreed. He knew it was the right thing to do.

"We'd better get moving now," Matt said as he looked at the entrance to the next staircase. We all fell silent and listened carefully. We could hear someone running towards the staircase upstairs. It was probably security. I met Finn's eyes briefly as he nodded before he disappeared. I suspected he was on his way upstairs to stop whoever was trying to get down to us.

 

I checked my gun briefly before I followed everyone else into the stairwell. A man stood at the top, seemingly struggling with someone. He was muttering something under his breath but I couldn't hear what. Finn had him but I couldn't hit the guy without possibly hitting Finn. My aim wasn't that good. A shot sounded from next to me and I whirled around to see Santana cocking her gun. I didn't have time to scream at her for risking the shot. I turned back around to see the security guard bowling forwards. She'd hit him in the thigh and no one appeared to be holding him up anymore.

"Finn!" I shouted, needing to know he was okay. That he'd just ghosted and that the bullet had gone right through him. We couldn't handle any casualties right now and I couldn't handle him being hurt. I wasn't going to lose him again. A more rational part of me tried to remind me that if he had been hit it would have just been through the leg. He was taller then the guard, he'd just be dealing with a bad leg. But that didn't matter right now. I pushed through my friends to rush up the stairs just as Finn became visible.

"I'm fine, Kurt. I saw the bullet coming," he reassured, holding his arms out as I threw myself in his arms. We didn't have time for this but it made me feel better. I squeezed Finn to me, feeling his heart beat steadily in his chest.

"And I thought Rachel was a drama queen," Suzy whispered to someone as she passed us. I snapped my head around to glare at her but the look on her face was almost affectionate.

"If you're happy he's not injured now, can we carry on?" She asked and I nodded, trying not to scowl. To spite her I turned back to Finn, stepping back so I could assess him for any minor injuries but he looked fine.

"We can," I told her before I followed her onto the third floor. This floor didn't appear to be as busy as the second but there were a few people trying to avoid our guns as they slammed doors shut on the rooms they were in. I couldn't see anymore security guards but I doubted we'd dealt with the last of them. Without a word we all automatically split into pairs to enter the rooms. We didn't know how many people were in each but we felt more comfortable this way. Finn and I headed to the room furthest down the hall. Through the door we could hear someone rambling away, their words nonsensical as they tried to explain themselves to someone.

"Do you think he's crazy or is someone important with him?" I whispered to Finn as we crept towards the door. Finn shrugged his answer before he slipped forwards to check the window. Whatever he saw in their made him freeze.

"What is it?" I demanded but Finn didn't respond. His hand slipped to the holster he had belted to his thigh and slowly drew his gun out. There really was someone important in there.

"Finn, who is it?!" I called out, my voice a little louder then necessary but it still didn't drag a response out of him. I reached out to grab his arm but he shrugged me off, only turning to shoot me a warning look. That darkness that I'd seen in him before? I could see it festering in his eyes again. I cursed but before I could call anyone over to help, Finn had wrenched the door open and off of it's hinges before he stepped through. I followed after him, knowing I had to stop him. No one else knew him as well as I did, if anyone was going to be able to stop him then it was going to be me.

 

The man we'd seen slam the door shut was kneeling in the corner, tears and snot trailing down his face as he rambled. He cradled one of his arms to his chest and I could see a needle lying on the floor next to him. I didn't know what he was seeing but it couldn't be pretty. Across the room from him with her back to us stood a woman. She looked to be of average height and her hair was cut into a sleek dark bob. Her clothes were smart and something about her felt familiar. But it wasn't until she turned around with a smile on her lips that I realized who it was.

"Dr. Moore." The words fell from my lips without a thought and Finn's head whirled around to look at me. He was surprised but it only lasted for a moment before the emotion twisted back into anger.

"Hello Kurt, hello Finn. I thought I might find you here," she greeted as if she'd just ran into us in a store.

"Shouldn't you be back at the compound, torturing your other guinea pigs?" Finn threw back at her. It was a weakly worded accusation and Dr. Moore's composure didn't even flicker.

"Now, now, you must work on your temper, Finn. You have to keep yourself calm if you want to stay in control," she tutted. Finn's anger flared and I felt it, I wasn't even touching him but she was seriously riling him up. I was afraid what would happen to me if I touched him in an attempt to calm him.

"So you really are involved in all this," I commented, trying to focus on Dr. Moore in a weak attempt to distract her. Maybe Finn would kick some chairs and wear himself out if she didn't pay attention to him. It probably wouldn't work but I had to try something. "Of course. But you'd already realized that, Kurt," she replied. I tried to come up with something else to say, a clever question or an accurate accusation but I had nothing. All I wanted to know was why and hope that the answer cooled Finn down.

"I didn't realize how important you were though, I thought someone had hired you to drug me up," I said. Irritation flickered across her face for a second and her mouth turned down in a nasty grimace.

"How could you not think I was important? I helped develop those drugs, I've been testing them and monitoring them for years and you thought I was some kind of hired lackey? How dare you?!" She snapped, taking a step towards us. Good, I could handle this now. I looked at Finn out of the corner of my eye but he hadn't moved. His hand remained tight around his gun. I tried not to let anyone see I was worried. I shifted further away from Finn and closer to Dr. Moore, hoping to god that he wouldn't fire if I was in the way.

"How long have you been involved with this operation?" I asked, changing the subject. Any information I could glean off of her could be useful later on. I had a feeling I was going to have to knock her out if I wanted to get out of here.

"Since your group was brought in. I watched over the compound for a while, monitored our patients but the boss wanted me to come to the city. She suspected that you and your friends abilities had started to surface,” she answered. I was grateful that she was straight to the point but I could feel Finn growing more and more irritated.

“You were going to hurt them like you hurt the rest of us, weren't you?” Finn barked. He moved closer towards Dr. Moore, I tried to block his way but he just shoved past me. I stumbled back, catching my foot on the leg of a discarded chair before I toppled to the floor. Finn didn't seem to care. Dr. Moore stepped back, trying to get away from him but he grabbed hold of her arm.

“We weren't hurting you. We were helping you realize your true potential!” Her voice had gotten higher, her movements jerky as she tried to get away but Finn wasn't letting her go. He brought the gun up to her head.

“Bullshit,” he deadpanned. Liquid started to trail down her leg, dripping down her thighs as she tried not to whimper. Finn's finger went to the trigger and I knew then that he was going to shoot her. I couldn't let him, she was too important. We needed her if we were going to win this thing.

“Drop the gun, Finn!” I called out, pointing my own gun at him. He didn't even bother to turn.

“No, she deserves this and you won't shoot me,” he argued. I wished he was right. Finn's finger brushed the trigger and I fired.

 


	13. Chapter Thirteen

As the bullet tore through Finn's knee, he pulled the trigger and Dr. Moore's head flopped to the right. Finn released her body, curling his body in on himself as he tried to cover the bleeding wound on his thigh.

"Fuck, Kurt!" he groaned at the same moment I cried out.

"You killed her!" The door behind me slammed open and the rest of our group rushed inside but it was too little, too late. I stared down at the corpse on the floor. I couldn't believe he'd actually shot her. I knew he was mad and I knew he was hurt but that...that was the complete opposite of what we had planned. The moment the group set eyes on the corpse, Harmony rushed forwards and reached out to touch her. I opened my mouth to tell her to keep away, that there was nothing she could do to help her but her fingers brushed Dr. Moore's wet leg. Harmony's skin started to bubble much like Matt's had earlier and her form changed to match Dr. Moore's.

"Okay, we're good," she said, her voice a perfect match for Dr. Moore's. I blinked at her, wondering why we hadn't talked about this before.

"Why didn't I know about this?" I demanded, turning my back on Finn as Vell moved over to Finn. She started to talk to him quietly, I could barely hear what she was saying and I didn't care. I know Finn said that he had his dark side but it seemed like everyone else had been prepared in case something happened. Why hadn't I been told about this? My head snapped around to see how Santana and Rachel were taking this. They both looked just as confused and angry as I sure I was. So they weren't just keeping things from me. My hands clenched into fists and I felt my heart beat start to race.

"We thought it could be a security risk," Suzy tried to explain. I tried to argue but she held her hand up and shot my a glare that suggested I'd best stay quiet and listen.

"Finn is dangerous. We never know if he's going to snap anymore. If you knew Harmony could transform herself like that if he killed anyone important then you might have been less cautious." I opened my mouth, wanting to say something but I couldn't think of anything. She was right. Finn had needed the rest of us on our best guard. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair and looked around the room.

"Are the other rooms secured?" I asked, waiting for Suzy to nod before I walked back over to Finn. His face was pale and sweaty but the wound on his leg had stopped bleeding and it didn't look so bad.

"This was the best I could do for now," Vell told me as she wiped her hands on her jeans. I looked up, I hadn't realized that Vell could heal. I didn't even think she'd had abilities. But right now I was incredibly grateful to her.

"We'll get him to a hospital after this," I agreed. That must have been acceptable to Vell as she got up and moved away to give me and Finn some space.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't let her hurt anyone else," Finn whispered. I slowly moved my gaze up to his face, our eyes meeting as I tried to gauge how sincere he was being. "I tried to warn you I couldn't be trusted," Finn carried on when I didn't respond to him. I shook my head, trying to listen to him but trying not to seem like I was going to roll over and accept his apology. He didn't even seem guilty when he could have messed everything up for us. Finn reached out, took my hand into is and squeezed it gently.

"Kurt, please, just listen to me," Finn pleaded quietly and I had to look away. Everything was going to be okay so i shouldn't be so mad but it just felt like everyone had been lying to me for god knows how long and I was sick of it. I couldn't keep living like this if this was what our new life was going to be like. I wouldn't be able to see Finn without remembering this. I turned back to him and focused on how Finn's hand felt in mine. It was warm and his desperation felt heavy on my skin. He meant every word he was saying but...

 

But what?

 

This whole experience had been a mess, yes. But now it was over. Things didn't necessarily have to stay the same. I licked my lips as I tried to word what I was thinking carefully.

"What you did was wrong, Finn. None of us wanted to resort to murder," I said. Finn flinched,

"I had to do it," he insisted, his voice nearly a whimper. I felt as guilt started to stir inside of him, swirling and seeping into the very core of his being. I reached inside of myself to find some calm and I sent it across to Finn. He took several deep breaths and squeezed my hand back.

"Thank you. Does this mean you forgive me?" He asked. He wasn't but I supposed shouting at him wouldn't make anything any better either.

"Not completely, but we'll sort this out," I said. Finn nodded, smiling a little and shifting his body so he could try and push himself up.

"Finn-"

"Don't, Vell did a good job on my leg. I promise if it gets any worse I'll let you take me straight to the hospital," he promised. That would have to do.

"Okay," I agreed. Finn wrapped an arm around my waist, and he pulled himself up slowly. He winced a little but as he released his hold on me. His leg shook a little but he managed to stay standing. I pulled the sais off of my leg and dropped them to the floor just in case anyway. I didn't want him to fall onto them even if they wouldn't do any damage.

 

He slowly made his way across the room to where Harmony and Suzy stood. Harmony was on the phone, still in disguise as Dr. Moore. We'd walked in on the middle of the conversation and it took a few minutes to realize what was going on.

"Yes, you heard me correctly. I said release the subjects," Harmony snapped down the line. I moved closer to Suzy so I could ask her what was going on.

"I know what I said before but things have changed. We're going to be all over the news in an hour!" Harmony carried on her voice sharp with authority. Someone else said something down the line and she nodded.

"Yes, exactly. It would be too risky. Drop them all off separately close to where you found them," she instructed. The person down the other end was obviously agreeing with her as she soon hung up.

"All sorted. The Sylvester Group isn't holding anyone at the compound anymore. They might still start again but...it's something," she told us. Suzy seemed to approve and even Finn was nodding.

"I guess that's the best we can do," Suzy agreed, shooting Finn an irritated look. "No thanks to you." He flinched and I was kind of glad that I wasn't the only one mad at him.

"What was that about being on the news?" I asked, changing the subject quickly. The last thing we needed was Finn to feel guilty and go into himself. If we needed someone to pull everyone together then he would be it.

"Matt called up a couple of Local TV stations and anonymously told them what was going on here. They'll be here soon so we have to get out," she explained. I went to nod in agreement when I realized something.

"Why do we have to disappear? We stopped this operation, why can't we tell the news what's going on?" Suzy looked exasperated and I couldn't help but wonder what I'd said wrong. This would have been the perfect way for the public to realize what was supposedly going on truly was happening.

"This won't hurt the Sylvester Group for long, Kurt. They'll be back and hurting other people as soon as they can. We've freed those we could be we can't let them see it was us. With Dr Moore out of the way we at don't have to worry about her reporting us," Finn explained, shooting a Suzy a look of his own. She wanted to argue, I know she did but she was calculating something.

"Maybe you're right. Maybe it is for the best then," she murmured. She reached out and patted Finn on the shoulder. "I still think we could have used her but...we had Harmony and you're right. She can't report us." Finn practically beamed at the reassurance.

"We should get going then, where's Vell?" he said. Of course, now he thought things were sorted everything was okay in his books. I didn't want to tell him he wasn't out of the woods yet but they all had to remember something.

"Guys, how are we going to tell your families that you're still alive?" I asked, speaking up so that everyone in the room could hear me. Suzy turned back to me with a small smile.

"We're going to let the hospital do that," she said.

 

 

Apparently walking into A&E on a Saturday night was not the smartest idea Suzy had ever had. The waiting room was packed with drunks and the more sober people who'd come along to support them lest they somehow fall down the toilet whilst waiting. And I'm not kidding there, I actually heard this incredibly slender woman tell the rough man at her side this as I'd passed them on my way to the bathroom. Maybe if we'd come in when Finn's leg was worse off we'd have been seen to quicker, instead we were stuck in the waiting area as Finn filled the forms in and the rest of us tried to come up with a better plan.

"How exactly are we supposed to get you all seen to when Finn's the only one actually injured," I asked, crossing my arms as best I could as I slumped back into my seat with a hot cup of crappy hospital coffee in one hand. Suzy shuffled about in her seat, fiddling with the papers Finn handed her as she seemed to be focused on something. From the things she was muttering every now and then I guessed she was trying to read the doctor's minds. That or she was trying to play guess the ailment with our fellow possible patients. But for most of them I don't think you had to delve in their mind to work out what happened I thought as I eyed the man with the toilet seat that seemed to be stuck on his butt. Though, maybe it would be funny to find out what the real story was.

 

I sighed and turned back to Finn, he was filling in the last part of the form and the second he was done he dropped the pen with a flourish.

"Now we just have to wait!" He exclaimed and I couldn't help but shoot him a funny look.

"We already have been waiting. For an hour," I reminded him flatly. Finn just shrugged and I resisted the urge to slap him by taking another sip of my vile coffee. At least that just made me want to throw it elsewhere. Or maybe throw it back up if that got us seen to quicker. I watched as a couple of nurses wandered over to the reception, they all seemed to be talking about something. One of the nurses pointed to the radio that sat on the side of the reception. The receptionist nodded before she stood up and turned back to those of us who were waiting.

"Could everyone please shut up," she shouted. Her voice somehow echoed across the room and most people fell silent. Those who didn't seemed to have no clue what was going on anyway so I supposed it didn't matter that much.

"There's an important announcement coming up on the radio and we all need to hear it, thank you," she called out again. She turned to the radio and turned it up, I couldn't hear it that well from where I was but I could just about make out what the news reporter was saying.

"An hour ago we had a report that an illegal operation was stopped within the city. After inspection of the premises by the police we have discovered that the people inside were being experimented on here and elsewhere. If you have been involved in any of these operations then we suggest reporting to the nearest hospital where we can inspect what damage has been done. Thank you," The news reporter signed off, letting the radio return to the DJ who himself started to talk about what had happened. They hadn't given much information on the experimentation so everyone was wondering what it had been. I turned back to Finn who was already getting to his feet.

“Guess we better talk to the receptionist again,” he commented cheerfully. As relieved I was, I still found myself tempted to kick him in the wound. How could he be so happy at a time like this? Finn wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me besides him as we walked back over to the reception desk and for once I was glad that I looked a mess. At least it might help back up our story.

"Excuse me?" Finn said as we reached them but the receptionist was still talking to one of the nurses, her hand on the radio as she frowned. I'm pretty sure she was worrying about how many people would be coming through here soon claiming to have been experimented on. Most of them would be a bunch of paranoid people who were worried about nothing but at least the first group she had to deal with were real.

"Excuse me," I tried, making my voice louder and more authoritative then Finn's had been. The receptionist opened her mouth and before she could blow us off, I spoke up again.

"What you just heard on the radio? That's where we've all just been. We only just managed to escape, my brother was shot and we didn't know what to tell anyone." I was being at least partly honest, remembering what the others had said about not letting people know how involved we'd been. I watched the receptionist's frown deepen and I carried on, not giving her the chance to not believe us.

"Please, you have to help us. We don't know what's happening and our families our convinced some of us are dead and-" I choked up a fake sob, turning away from her as I started to cry on cue. God I loved being an actor sometimes, the having so many bad memories to call up on not so much. Rachel seemed to catch on to what I was doing and she stepped up beside me.

"Please let us through," she said, voicing her words as more of a command before she gasped.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. You don't have to. I just can't control this," she apologized, flapping around in a way that was almost hilarious. The receptionist looked so confused but eventually she gestured towards the nurse who stood waiting at her side.

"Fine, go with Nurse Jenkins. We'll get some blood work done and see if you're all telling the truth," she sighed. I wasn't too sure if the blood work would bring up anything, surely an MRI would make more sense but I followed after the Nurse anyway. I just hoped that it didn't take them too long to accept that we really had been part of the experiments and we weren't just drunks trying to get seen to quicker.

 

 

It took another two hours before the doctors were satisfied that we were telling the truth. Our blood still held evidence of the drugs we'd been put on before and Finn had almost disappeared into the table when the doctor tried to remove the bullet from his thigh. I apologized profusely after that but Finn just told me not to worry just asked me to stay with him. I was happy to do that. Especially when the doctor told me he was about to call our parents and let them know what had happened. It was a relief to not have to be the one to tell Carole that Finn was still alive. She'd have started crying and then I would have too and it just would have been this big, blubbering mess. When the Doctor had finished his call, he turned back to us and told us our parents were getting the next possible flight in along with everyone else's parents. It was going to be weird seeing so many of our parents around, it was kind of like being back in high school again.

 

The police came by after that to take our statements. We'd all agreed on our story so I was happy to lie. I could still get in trouble if we were all caught out, I knew that, but it was for the best. I told the officers that they'd been chasing me for a while, that they'd tried to attack me twice and that my therapist had been in on it. I told them how I'd seen Finn around and it was how I'd realized something was wrong and how I'd felt the need to get back into contact with him. That was all true at least. After that my story tailed off a bit, I said that we'd finally decided to turn ourselves in to the Sylvester Group because we had no clue what was wrong with us. It was there we'd discovered what was really going on and we'd tried to escape. We'd gone up through the building because we'd hoped to find evidence that we could bring back to the police. That was where Finn had been shot and then the same guard had shot Dr. Moore by accident. They'd find one of the guards in the room with her with both mine and Finn's guns in his hands as evidence. They would find our fingerprints on the guns if they looked which they might but it was the best we could do. The man shooting two guns in two hands was pretty unrealistic but I was pretty certain they'd accept the story as it was. It made sense and put the blame purely on people who were already deceased. There wasn't much else they'd have to do before they closed the case. And that was exactly how we'd planned it. When the officer was satisfied he stated that we all had to stay in the hospital until our families came to collect us. Yes, we were all legal adults but they felt that we'd be safer if we were escorted by someone close to us. I was grateful for that and I thanked the police officer before I left the room and returned to my seat beside Finn's bed. His police officer had already left the room and Finn's eyes were glued on the news report in front of him.

 

"The police have taken the CEO of the Sylvester Group, Doris Sylvester, in for questioning. It was revealed late last night that the company had been in fact kidnapping teenagers from across the country to experiment on them. The police have no evidence of Mrs Sylvester's involvement in the actual experimentation but hope to find out what was really going on," The news reporter announced, her face serious before the screen flipped back to the news studio.

"It's all finally over, isn't it?" Finn said as he turned his head to look at me. I nodded, finally truly smiling for the first time that night.

"Yeah, it is," I agreed. I reached out to take his hand in mine squeezing his gently.

"The doctor's aren't going to be able to change what happened to us though, are they?" Finn asked, his own smile turning down into a frown as he realized this. I took a deep breath before answering.

"I don't believe so. They've been manipulating our minds and bodies for so long that the abilities developed on their own from what I hear." Finn nodded, going quiet as he tried to take that in.

"I guess that we'll never really be normal," he said. I shrugged, trying to keep things light so Finn didn't sink back into one of his dark moods.

"I think I kind of prefer you when you're not normal," I teased. Finn raised an eyebrow at that, his lips finally curling back into that half smirk I knew and loved.

"And why would that be?" I leaned in closer so I could whisper my next words to him.

"Because we can have sex anywhere if you make us invisible and no one even has to know." Finn chuckled but I didn't miss how he swallowed or how his pupils dilated slightly.

"That certainly is something to keep in mind," Finn paused for a second, his brow furrowing into a frown again before he shrugged whatever was worrying him off. "If you want to keep doing that," he amended. Ah, that was what he was thinking about. I had to admit that it would be kind of strange. I'd been in a relationship with Blaine for years and I hadn't dared even hope that anything would happened between myself and Finn for most of that time. Having him back didn't really change that fact. So I was feeling slightly cautious but that didn't mean I wasn't willing to give us a go. Thinking I'd lost him had cemented in the fact that I was still in love with him and probably always would be. If I didn't give myself this chance then I'd be regretting it for the rest of my life.

"I do, I really do," I admitted. Finn's head jerked up at that, his hold on my hand tightening as he looked at me as if he couldn't believe what I was saying.

"But what about our parents?" He asked. I raised an eyebrow,

"You're worrying about that now, Cowboy?" I drawled. Finn's face flushed and he sputtered slightly, I couldn't help but laugh at him. He really was all kinds of adorable.

"We're both fully consenting adults, Finn. Anyway, it's not like I'm saying we should be an item straight away. Just that we should see how things go," I explained. That was the best way I could explain it and Finn seemed to accept it happily.

"Okay. So we should probably go on a date sometime soon," he decided, I laughed again.

"Yeah, that would be a pretty good start. Maybe wait until after our parents are gone though. I think this is the one time I'd accept sex on the first date and it really wouldn't be that romantic with our parents next door," I replied. Finn laughed again before he tugged at my hand slightly. I let him pull me forwards until my head hovered over his.

"Don't you think we should seal the deal then?" I rolled my eyes and thwacked him gently on the arm. Then I leaned in and kiss him, being careful to avoid his injured leg as I settled down beside him.

 


End file.
